We bought the first seasons’ clothing before


we finalised the shop purchase, then had two months in a short term let. We eventually completed on the building and then added more accessories and gifting into the mix. That’s where we stand today, even though we have a few more areas of the building to do up, but our vision of a mini department store is coming to fruition!


Q: Tell us about your stores, your staff and the areas where you’re based. A: We have two shops – one located in Eccleshall, Staffordshire where we employ two ladies and the other in Sandbach, Cheshire where we have four ladies. The local population in Sandbach has


increased in the past few years with lots of development and this has bought in new customers, but it’s still a challenge to gain new shoppers due to people not coming to the high street. Sandbach has fared better than most and is still a thriving town with lots of independent shops. Eccleshall is a very different town, but it has


a lovely high street and community feel. The footfall is lower and there are fewer shops, but the quality is fantastic. I always say that if you needed to do your Christmas shopping in Eccleshall you could get something for every- one, both male and female, and we are making our store “a must visit” to give people a reason to come to us.


the gamble of buying the empty store and moving into clothing with footwear. It wasn’t a viable option as it’s only a small town with relatively low footfall – but the silver lining was that the ladies’ boutique building came up for sale, so we went for it!


Q: Do you have an online shop or website, and do you use social networking for business? A: We did have an operational website set up during Covid but now, due to it being a standalone site not interacting with our sales each day, I don’t have time to keep it up-to-date.


It is something that I want to get on top of as it’s another shop window open 24-hours-a-day. We do use social media – every day we post “outfit inspiration” showcasing what we do, and I also do a weekly blog with a “try-on” session of new arrivals and outfit ideas.


Q: What’s selling well at the moment? And what are your best-selling footwear brands, and why? A: I find that footwear goes in waves, so we should have moved out of the trainer phase into the sandal phase, but with the inclement weather the season is a little bit tipsy! On days when the sun shines it’s sandals and then the next day its back to trainers! Loafers have also seen a little resurgence, but trainers and comfort footwear are still the winners. Our best-selling brands are Gabor, Waldlaufer and Rieker, but for us it’s so important to offer the quirkier brands so that people know they can come to us not only for a trainer but also heels for that special occasion.


Q: Do you sell other items besides footwear, such as bags, gloves, tights socks, below the ankle products? A: We moved into clothing in 2021 and we’ve not looked back! We can now offer the full package and dress someone head to toe, but we have not lost our ethos, and that is great customer service. Over the years we have gained a loyal following and we know many of our customers by name – we know their sizes and we know what they like, so when they come in we can make the buying decision that little bit easier and more pleasurable – this is something that you just don’t get online. In addition to fashion, we also offer a range of accessories and gifting – we believe that this is


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