Creativity meets with collaboration

Jo McBeath, owner of Chirpy in Chapel Allerton, chats about her contemporary gift store and workshop space which aims to offer customers ‘more than they expect’

Why did you decide to open a gift shop?

After 20 years of corporate life, I was itching to do something different. Chirpy was my local gift shop, where I went to buy cards and presents. So when it went up for sale I jumped at the chance.

I got the keys six weeks before Christmas 2016 and just had to learn as I went along; it was a real baptism of fire. But I loved it from day one and have no regrets. Although I had no real retail experience, I took everything I’d learned over the past 20 years [as a business adviser managing people, suppliers and agents] and used those skills to run Chirpy. And it seems to be working.

Tell us a bit about your business.

Chirpy is in the heart of Chapel Allerton, which is a suburb of Leeds. It’s a small, quirky shop on two levels, with the top level used for workshops, events and pop-ups.

We’re a local shop with a very loyal customer base, mainly comprising families and professionals aged around 30 to 55. We try to get to know our customers by name: I love seeing the children grow up and finding out what they’re learning at school, and what they’re up to at the weekend. We also see lots of men who come in hoping I’ll remember what their partners looked at last time they visited, which I often do!

Customers often look for an affordable gift for someone’s birthday (often on the way to meeting the recipient at the local pub). We regularly get asked for a pen to write the card and of course, we gift wrap too.

Describe your range.

We stock a mix of small brands and handmade goods. We love supporting local makers, of which there are several in Leeds and Yorkshire, and try to showcase as many as we can. We’re lucky to have some local artists too, who display and sell their work with us. range of silver mini studs makes a lovely present, especially for younger girls and teenagers, while Forme Jewellery offers unique handmade necklaces. We also stock Growbar [seed collections in coir bars] which are popular as postable gifts, ceramics from Musango, and vegan accessories from Goodeehoo. And, as we serve a lot of families, Blade & Rose’s children’s leggings are best sellers.

What are your key gift categories?

We sell a lot of ceramics, especially planters for houseplants as this trend continues. Our homeware range suits a modern home with a colourful aesthetic. Candles are a great gift choice, and we’ve seen a rise in crafting kits and jigsaws over the past few years. Jewellery is always popular and our ranges tend to be more casual, everyday, affordable options. Sustainable gifts are also on the up - those made from materials such as cork or recycled paper.

How do you find products?

I usually go to trade shows: my favourites are Top Drawer and Home & Gift. This year I’m visiting PG Live for the first time to find new card suppliers. I’m contacted on a daily basis by potential suppliers, usually via Instagram or our website. I get quite a few walk-ins too, but I try to discourage that and ask people to contact me first with a bit of information about their products.

How many suppliers do you deal with?

More than 50, though I try not to have too many suppliers of the same kind of products. So, I have a couple of candle suppliers at different price points.

Small brands include Liga (its Beach Clean range of placemats and coasters is a best seller, despite Leeds being as far away from the sea as you can get!). Then there’s Arthouse Unlimited for its candles, soaps and mugs: customers love its ethos of working with adults with learning difficulties to design wonderful products.

Local chocolate from York-based Choc Affair is great as a little extra pick-up. And the Lucy Kemp

What’s your selection criteria? I always check suppliers’ websites and Instagram (and check if they ‘follow’ me, to make sure they understand the type of products we sell). It’s important that their products fit with the rest of the shop, because sometimes I like a product but can’t see how it would work with my other ranges. I also need to imagine how and where it will be displayed. Other criteria are minimum order quantities, because with new products it’s good to be able to place a small trial order. Payment terms are also important.

Like my customers, I’m looking more and more at green and sustainability credentials. Obviously buying from local suppliers is a consideration too, as we’re supporting the local economy, and often they deliver products by hand.

How has trading been for you so far this year?

It’s been tough, with a noticeable decline in footfall. People are more cautious with their spending and there’s definitely fewer impulse buys. I’ve spent a lot of time planning and budgeting this year as I’m confident that the latter half with the run-up to Christmas will be good, but we have to manage our stock and cashflow up to then.

What’s selling well?

Small gifts for £10-£20 including ceramics, jewellery and kidswear. Our core best sellers are cards. We offer a discounted bundle of five in-store and online, and always ensure we have a great range so people keep returning. We also have a range of products specific to North Leeds, unique to us. These include a mug, tea towel, coaster, print and postcard, which appeal to people who are local or are moving from or into the area.

How do you market your business?

Mainly through social media: Instagram and Facebook. I post every day, also using stories and reels. We have a mailing list too and send a fortnightly newsletter to keep customers up to date with what we’re doing, and we often run special offers and discounts.

There’s a local magazine which we market ourselves in with a discount voucher. Chapel Allerton has a local resident forum (subscribers get a discount card which they can use in Chirpy) and a Facebook page where we promote Chirpy.

Plus, I have a contact at the local newspaper who I call whenever we have a story to tell, so we’ve been in print a few times and even on the local news. Wordof-mouth is important as well: getting customers from recommendations is always reassuring.

Do you offer in-store events?

We use our upstairs space regularly for workshops, events and pop-ups. This year we’ve hosted two Maker in Residence events where local makers set up shop for two days, giving them a chance to sell their products and giving us an opportunity to see if their items work in Chirpy. We’ve currently got an Artist in Residence exhibiting her work for sale. We’ve hosted a womenswear pop-up, a nutrition talk, and a first aid event. The space has also been hired out for private workshops, including crafty hen parties, baby showers, and a Leeds Girls networking event.

What’s on your counter?

There’s a convenient little shelf where you’ll find a great choice of local chocolate and a couple of affordable pick-up gifts, including bookmarks, flower presses and ceramic buttons. You’ll also be able to pick up a copy of the local free magazine - and we usually have some flowers, and a candle burning

Do you offer additional services?

We think it’s really important to offer our customers more than they expect. We offer gift cards in-store and online, vouchers for our workshops, and a digital loyalty programme in-store where customers collect points and get money off purchases. It’s a good way to reward their commitment. We always offer to gift wrap for free using recycled paper, and we’ve just launched a wedding list service. With the growing popularity of sending cards, we launched a monthly card subscription service a couple of years ago. We also use this as a way of testing out new suppliers, by including sample cards as freebies and giving subscribers the chance to help us choose our new card suppliers.

What’s next for Chirpy?

It’s a difficult time at the moment. With decreasing footfall, it’s hard to plan to expand. However, we’re trying to look at what else we can offer our existing customers, and hopefully bring in new ones. This could be through collaborations with other makers, more bespoke events, and new workshops. We’re always open to new ideas and opportunities.

What’s the best and worst things about working in retail?

I love the fact that Chirpy is so much part of the community that I know everyone in the village. I love sourcing new products and hearing lovely feedback from customers about the things I’ve chosen. Running events is one of my favourite parts of the job too. As I’m a natural organiser, I like having lots of things on the go and juggling lots of plates. But I’m not a fan of the uncertainty, and never really knowing how the day is going to go. I’ve stopped trying to predict which days will be busy or quiet, and just have to be confident that everything will work out by Christmas, our busiest time of year.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in retailing?

Be aware of all the extra costs you don’t think about, such as insurance, music, and paper bags. Be prepared for long, quiet days and hundreds of emails from companies asking you to stock their products, or offering to sort out your SEO!

Don’t take it personally when people come into your shop and say that they love it so much they could buy everything - and then leave buying nothing.

Think about who your customers are and what they are looking to buy, how much they are spending, and how else you can help themso that coming into your shop is an experience. Look to see who you can collaborate with, and how you can work with neighbouring shops to support your community.

Top 5 Best Sellers

1. Various sources greeting cards

2. Blade & Rose children’s leggings

3. Liga Beach Clean placemats and coasters

4. Arthouse Unlimited candles and soaps

5. Exclusive North Leedsthemed homeware