Attire Accessories - Seo/Oct 2019 (Issue 78)

110 Tell us a bit about The Shop at Bluebird and how you came to join the business. I was a fan of The Shop at Bluebird and its unique conceptual style for many years before I joined the brand. In 2014, I met with Belle Robinson, the director of Jigsaw, and was offered the opportunity to come on board with The Shop at Bluebird to grow the vision for the business. For me, The Shop at Bluebird stands as a hub of creativity, bringing established and new fashion, art, beauty and interior brands together to form a unique offering within a historical surrounding that is Carriage Hall in the heart of London. Why did you decide to move stores, and has this been a success so far? The decision that we took to relocate The Shop at Bluebird’s flagship from King’s Road to Covent Garden was based on wanting to flourish our customer base and interact with a larger demographic of international shoppers, which is known within the Covent Garden destination. Also, once we saw Carriage Hall’s interior and the potential to transform our brand vision into such a grand piece of architecture, it felt like the right home for the brand to grow into. We recently celebrated our first year in our new home, and as much as we have experienced success from this transition, we are still learning and adapting to continue to thrive as the future as retail is constantly changing. What challenges were overcome when the company was starting out? When The Shop at Bluebird launched, 13 years ago, the retail landscape was completely different to how it is now. For instance, there was far less competition and far fewer brands, with many luxury retailers not having a strong presence online yet. Nowadays, the way customers shop has been transformed, and building a loyal customer base with a brand that educates and informs them is truly valued. What is your customer base? We have maintained a strong customer base from the King’s Road but seen an expansion into a younger demographic, as well as international shoppers coming to Covent Garden as a tourist destination. I find it fascinating to see the different customers who come into Carriage Hall and their expressions when they see the product offering and beauty of the space. What’s your USP? We pride ourselves on providing amazing customer service in such a distinctive space. We like to offer