Diary of a gift shop

April was an exciting month for us. We moved into our fabulous new store in Hailsham. After spending almost five years in the East Sussex town, we knew it was time to renovate the shop and when the premises became available next door, we took the chance and made it ‘Maybugs’ ready!

The physical move of products took two days to complete - with 9.5 miles clocked up on my health app! We had lots of curious customers peeping through the windows and asking questions about why we were moving, when it was happening, and if we were extending?

We love our customers and have worked hard to build up a good relationship with the community, so it was reassuring to know that they were genuinely interested in the progression of our business.

We held a grand opening on April 11, with people queuing outside to be the first customers in at 9am. We had special signature Maybugs goody bags for our first 25 customers who spent

£25, which was a roaring success. Our Hailsham store now shines alongside our Eastbourne and Bexhill stores. With sleek new flooring, stylish furniture, beautiful products, and friendly staff, we proudly offer the ultimate gift shopping experience.

A funny story for you… we love the eclectic mix of our customers, from regulars to more quirky shoppers. Last week a trendy looking gentleman popped into one of our stores and asked if we sold duvets. Actual duvets! We of course sent him in the direction of an appropriate shop and explained that we specialise in gifts. It’s the little moments in life!

We are very honoured to have been nominated as a finalist for The Greats Gift Retailer Awards 2023. Part of the excitement is that we have randomly selected two of our amazing employees to join the razzle-dazzle of the ceremony. Something we pride ourselves on is rewarding the dedication and hard work of our staff, and recognising that they are integral to the day-to-day running of the business.

Alongside this, Small Business Britain has announced that we are a finalist in the High Street Hero category of its Small Awards. We are very much looking forward to attending this event too. A very busy springtime for us.

At the time of writing, the Coronation of King Charles is just around the corner, and we have plenty in stock to celebrate. Our Wrendale design mugs with a glorious portrait of the King and his Jack Russell Terrier were only on our online store for a few days before we ran out. We also have plenty of memorabilia from Widdop to complete our Coronation range, making us the perfect place to shop for all things royal.

We also have a new project in the making - and it’s something for the whole community. We are expanding our Eastbourne store to the first floor and providing a unique Maybugs Moroccan-style Market for local crafters and small businesses to sell their wares. By offering the space free of charge, we’re giving local people the opportunity to expand their businesses to the next level. We will be on hand to provide advice and possibly even stock some of their products in the future. We hope that the footfall for the Market will mean more business for us too, so it’s a winning concept. We have had lots of interest and applications already, and we are planning for this to begin in July. So watch this space!

Just in!

As we went to press, we heard that Maybugs won the High Street Hero category of The Small Business Britain’s Small Awards. Greg said: “We are just gobsmacked! To be recognised as the best independent high street business in the UK for all the community work we do is amazing. When we set up Maybugs six years ago, we could never have dreamt of winning such an important accolade - and it drives us to grow Maybugs and build further on its success.”

This achievement came just seven days after Maybugs won the Best Retailer Initiative category of The Greats Gift Retailer Awards 2023 for its Supporting Independents This Christmas campaign. Co-owner John Dale said: “We’ve always believed that we can only be successful if the towns in which we are in are successful too, and we will continue to keep promoting all the independents local to our stores to benefit the towns as a whole.”