Shop Talk

Name: Carl Dunne Owner and general dogsbody! Shop: Cards & Gifts of Dronfield Address: Derbyshire

Please describe your shop. It’s a greeting card and gift shop based in an affluent township of North East Derbyshire with a mix of wealth, families and those in their third age. The shop itself, while medium-sized, is packed to the rafters with stock to offer customers as many options in every category of card possible. Winner of the 2019 RETAS Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer Newcomer or New Branch – North How did you get into greeting card retail? I’d worked in retail most of my life when I wasn’t driving buses and coaches. I started with Smile and worked in a number of other retail outlets before starting in greeting cards in the mid-2010s when I found myself out of work and wanting to be my own boss. What are the best and worst things about working in retail? Customers, suppliers, staff and customers, suppliers, staffI It’s always a lovehate relationship across the board. From one day to the other when you love the customers who shop well and appreciate you being open, to the suppliers that visit you and boost you, to the staff that work hard and deliver what you ask of them. The flip reverse; customers that complain you don’t stock ‘To son and his best friend’s dog’ as a specific card, to suppliers that go back on deals or don’t understand that it’s not a customer-supplier relationship and that it’s actually a partnership, to staff that let you down and don’t realise that they always get paid but some days I have to go without. What cards are selling well in your store at the moment? Barley the Bear from ICG, Woodmanstone in general, and Pizzaz from Nigel Quiney. Our main supplier is UKG and the relations across the board are hard to keep up with of late (Word Portrait). What card range or category do you always ensure you keep in stock because of its popularity? Dean Morris is always a fun brand and we always have a fair few options stocked. Word Portrait from UKG. Generally relations and ages are the staple of our sales with age 16 being the new 18! What’s in your window at the moment? Barley the bear from ICG and Halloween. ’ Tis the season for All Hallows Eve, and with ICG finally launching the cuddly plush, it’s front and centre with a spattering of Xmas. What’s by your till at the moment? Toblerone Keepsake bars, artisan chocolates, foil balloons, gift wallets, and Xmas UKG Charity Packs. What’s the most surprising thing a customer has said or done or asked for!? “Have you got a card with a picture of a horse that is smiling”! My response - “no madam, all ours only have horses with a long or resting bitch face, sorry!” What do you think makes your shop stand out? Colour, it’s bright, pink, airy, the door is ALWAYS open, it’s warm and welcoming and, I’d like to think, me and my staff. We’re always helpful and approachable and nothing is too much trouble for us. If you could send anyone a card from the past or present, who would it be and why? My Mum – she was taken from me suddenly and far too young and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of and miss her. Also our baby doggy, for exactly the same reasons. How do trade magazines like Greetings Today help you? They allow me to see what the new trends are, who’s new, who’s trying something different, checking out the competition, seeing if I’m getting in right or not and whether I should be trying something different.