126 shopping and we’re finding that people are proud to show off their eco conscious purchases. We have so many customers asking for the ‘eco credentials’ of the product to go in the box with the gift. It’s not a novelty anymore, people really want to know. Customers want to make better choices and are craving transparency to make up their own minds about things. This isn’t just about ‘environmentally friendly’ anymore; we all want to be diversity conscious, health and wellbeing conscious; we want to be awake and stop making unconscious decisions. We are desperate for new, real experiences, and unique, locally purchased, one-of-a-kind products that we can connect with. What’s your USP? Contemporary, design-led store that doesn’t look out of place in the corporate landscape of Cabot Circus, yet we are a sustainable shop that is honest yet not overtly ‘green.’ Handmade, slow-made, responsibly made high quality products. We are a community hub – we’re more than a shop. What are your current best-selling lines? It changes so much throughout the year. At the moment it’s definitely jewellery and clothes – although now we are heading into the colder months we’ve seen a spike in our handmade lamps, statement LED bulbs and our lambswool socks. Are you active on social media, and how do you use it for your business? Yes – it’s so helpful for us to show who we are. Online shoppers seem to respond better to a shiny, professional website. However, customers also want to connect to independent businesses. We use our socials to show lots of images of the shop displays and our behind-the-scenes laughter when silly things happen in the shop. What brands do you stock and why? We stock a whopping 150 indie brands and each are vetted for their sustainable and responsible manufacturing. We stock indie brands because it helps the growth of the local area by providing income for local artists. Not to mention quality; the care that’s put into each piece radiates into the space. Customers feel it and comment on the ‘feeling’ of the shop. This phenomenon is only achieved with handmade goods. How often do you change up your window dressings and displays? I’m a nightmare and every time I arrive in the shop, now matter what is on my to-do list, I always change the display! It’s a bit of an ongoing joke with the shop team that I can’t leave it alone. I have such a clear vision of how I want the space to look so I end up adjusting, tweaking or even fully moving the displays around. The overall shop display and windows are changed completely every season. What are your plans to develop your online presence? We are going to work with a social media campaign company soon to try to reach more people that aren’t in our ‘bubble’. We are also going through each product (we have thousands) and trying to add more in-depth information for the customers (and also optimising SEO).
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