Gifts Today
RETAILERS’ PANEL The latest members of our Panel – key gift shop owners around the UK talk reopening, restocking and heading for the trade shows again
Candles and Pearls Fairford, Gloucestershire Candles and Pearls opened after the first lockdown in 2020. How did this come about? In 2019 I started a wedding accessory business selling bridal accessories from a stall at a country market. It was a huge success and, from there, I rented my first shop. I’d had retail management before in clothes, department stores and charity, but this was a childhood dream. I added in a small gift selection, including candles, skincare and favours, and this did really well, too. As the first lockdown reared its ugly head, a beautiful grade II listed shop that was split into several rooms became available in the town where I lived. There was a delay as all weddings were halted, and then I decided to open a gift shop in the front rooms of the building and it was a great success from the start.
How did you feel when we went into the second and third lockdowns? We’d had a really positive opening, as I do a fabulous deal on cards and there’s nowhere else in town to shop for gifts. The second lockdown was probably the hardest for me with the worry over whether I would be able to get the Christmas trade; by the third lockdown I was offering bespoke shopping baskets where you could have a selection of gifts and or cards delivered to your door to choose from. I’d pick up items 24 hours later, sanitize them and leave them for three days before putting them back into baskets. How have you found government support?
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So slow but picking up a bit now – I am not in a big town and there are very few facilities here so people tend to go to the bigger towns, but then you have a good week when you have constant queues. candles from Best Kept Secrets and The Aromatherapy Co.; wax melts from Sassy Shop Wax; bags from Earth Squared and Shruti at half Moon Bay; jewellery from Spoke 925, Equilibrium and Ask. How did you source products during first lockdown in readiness for opening?
I was eligible for the grants relating to having premises which has helped, although I have put a large amount by to pay the tax that will be due on this rather than spending it on supporting the shop.
smaller independent businesses like The Dartmoor Skincare Company and Bampton House. What sells well? Candles, bath-related products, jewellery, gin-related items and sentiments. I have lots of different customers, from elderly customers who don’t drive, 30+ females to dads on Saturdays.
We’d had a really positive opening, as I do a fabulous deal on cards and there’s nowhere else in town to shop for gifts
What’s the story behind the name of your shop?
What’s the mix of merchandise in store?
My father was terminally ill and I was looking after him. He knew I’d always wanted a shop of my own and he suggested the name because I love candles and my mum loved pearls.
Forty percent of stock is wedding. For gifts I stock signs from Crafty Clara /East of India and Transomnia; lotions and potions from Agnes & Cat, Dartmoor Skincare and Ancient Wisdom;
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How has reopening been?
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Clare Wright
This was the hardest because I didn’t have a trading history in the gift sector. Many suppliers wouldn’t give me accounts so, to start with, I used companies like Joe Davies, Gainsborough and Whistlefish, alongside
Do you have an online offering as well as selling in-store?
Both sides of the business have their own website. I find that a lot of my customers use it as a catalogue and then come to the store. How will you be celebrating your first anniversary? Goody bags for all my regulars and launching a loyalty card. I also have lots of new ranges to launch.
