Retail Interview - with Mapes of Millport joint owners Scott and Deborah Ferris

Scott and Deborah Ferris were delighted to be able to fully reopen on the day of Mapes of Millport’s 75th anniversary and celebrated with a personalised cake

Mapes marks a milestone

Mapes of Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae turned 75 on the very day that non-essential retail reopened in Scotland. Clare Turner talks to joint owners Scott and Deborah Ferris

Mapes of Millport has been serving the island of Isle of Cumbrae since 1946. On 26 April, the independent retailer celebrated its 75th anniversary - and joint owners Scott and Deborah Ferris marked the milestone in style, because it coincided exactly with the date when non-essential shops in Scotland could reopen their doors after lockdown.

The couple took over the shop in 2017, after it was sold to them by the Mapes family. They are passionate about Cumbrae, describing it as “our little gem”. Originally from Glasgow, the couple relocated four years ago, leaving careers in recruitment consultancy and insurance respectively to pursue their dream of embracing island life permanently.

Scott says: “In 2016 we calculated that we’d spent 42 weekends of the year here. So when the shop came up for sale, we knew it well. I remember shopping here as a kid, with my nose pressed against the glass joke counter, looking at the stink bombs, dirty face soap and fart powder - and being amazed by the LEGO. I said to Deborah: “What about it?”. We chatted it through, agreed that it seemed a natural progression - and that was it!”

The business specialises in toys and bikes, which are spread over a total display area of 1,200sq ft. “We’re essentially two shops of 600sq ft each with different entrances,” says Scott. “My side is ‘outdoor-based’: I rent and sell 400-plus bikes, along with skateboards, scooters, bike accessories, fi shing and camping equipment, DIY items and custom clothing. Deborah deals with the toys side: it’s a traditional toy shop with an extensive range.”

So how has trade been since reopening? “The bike side has always been open because bikes are ‘essential’ so people brought their bikes in to be serviced - but they couldn’t walk into the toy shop to pick an item, because we effectively have two front doors,” says Scott.

“For toys, trading has been really positive. Many customers have said: ‘we’ve so missed you - it’s brilliant to be back here’. So it’s been great, with lots of big ticket sales that we wouldn’t normally expect at this time of the year.

“Of course, a lot of frustrated kids haven’t been

For toys, trading has “

been really positive. Many customers have said: ‘we’ve so missed you - it’s brilliant

to be back here ”

out much, and a lot of parents have been dying to go on holiday, so they’re exceptionally happy to be here - and keen to make their children as happy as possible. But I think we’re rather unique, in as far as we’re a holiday destination.”

He explains: “Cumbrae is just a short hop from the mainland and in previous years, the ferry has brought 5,000 people a day here. If you take into consideration Visit Scotland’s statistic that every tourist brings £64 to the community, that’s £320,000 per day. Last year Cumbrae welcomed 210,917 ferry visitors and the (pre-covid) 2019 fi gure totalled 319,410.”

He says the island has 800 residents, of which children account for 120 (comprising 8 preschoolers, 52 primary schoolkids, and 60 secondary school students). But when tourists, day-trippers and second homeowners visit, the total number goes up dramatically to about 2,000 “and nearly everybody will visit the toy shop”. Deborah’s number one brand is LEGO. Mapes has been dealing with the company for 50-plus years and it accounts for 15-20% of the shop’s display area. Other key names include Bruder, Jumini,

BigJigs Toys, John Adams, Peterkin,

Joint owner

Deborah Ferris looks after the toys side of the shop

Orchard Toys and, she says, “we’re just setting up with Jellycat”.

So what are her key product categories? Deborah gives a whirlwind verbal tour: “When you stand in the shop facing the doorway, to the left is a row of games, from Jenga to Articulate. Then there’s pocket money toys and games, followed by outdoor toys such as tennis, diablo, and fi ve different types of football. The LEGO section is next. Then there’s an art section, from creative colouring to single pencils, paint, felt tip pens and PVA glue, and a car section with remote controlled cars. One category that’s really big for us is die cast metal cars. We deal with Boxsters, PeaceKeeper, Teamsterz and Corgi, and we’re bringing in plastic models from Revell and Carrera.

“Next is the gun section (you wouldn’t believe how many little boys love their toy guns!) including cap guns from Swat and Combat and cowboy guns from Wick Western. Then there’s the baby section, from BigJigs Toys, Infunbebe and Leapfrog. We have wooden toys, rag dolls, catapult aeroplanes and bath submarines as well. Oh, and obviously the joke counter, which has everything from your nail-through-the-fi nger to snappy chewing gum, wobbly pencils, slime eggs and squirt guns - and don’t forget the whoopee cushions!

“There’s something for everybody here. And if I’m questioned more than once for a product that I don’t have, I’ll get it in, just in case. For example, I was once asked if I stocked clothes pegs for a dolly’s whirligig. I said ‘no, but I’m going off for stock, so I’ll pick some up for you’.”

Deborah regularly visits a cash & carry in Glasgow, primarily for pocket money toys, and says they always know when she’s there, because they hear her exclaiming ‘Oh, that’s new!’ and ‘Oh, I like that!’

Where else does she source products? Visiting trade shows was on the cards last year until covid put paid to that plan. But she hopes to attend the next Spring Fair. In the meantime, reps visit her in person, and she deals directly with other companies or places orders online.

So what’s been selling well? “Opening the door back up, it was the LEGO sets for a lot of kids,” Deborah recalls. “We’ve got to know the children over the last four years since we took over, and we’ve seen them grow. They come in every time they’re here to visit relatives and have conversations with us. They tell us how they’re doing at school, and they’re the ones that go towards the LEGO: it’s the fi rst section they head for.”

Guess what…

Cumbrae is a small island off the coast of North Ayrshire and Millport is its only town.

Mapes is in the centre of the town on the prom, a stone’s throw from the beach, and Scott has installed a weather webcam above the shop door which means island lovers can keep an eye on large areas of the shorefront 24 hours a day.

Deborah says: “Cumbrae seems to have its own microclimate: it can be absolutely chucking down with rain up the road but brilliant sunshine here, so we guide people towards our website to check the weather.”

Scott adds: “I wanted to grow the online side of the business and the weather webcam encourages further traffi c. My thinking is that the more people are hitting the website, for any purpose at all, if they then go on and look for toys… In the last seven days we had 2,400 hits on the website alone and 280 on the home page. We get an average of 700 hits a day from around the world.

Top

■ Pushpoppers ■ LEGO in general ■ BBC Planet Earth 20cm plush animals ■ Die cast metal cars ■ Mapes Lucky Dip bags

Sellers

Of course, a lot of frustrated “

kids haven’t been out much, and a lot of parents have been dying to go on holiday, so they’re exceptionally happy to be here - and keen to make their children as happy as

possible. ”

The pocket money area is popular too, with fi nger poppers, slimes, putty and magic sand proving big hits. And some of the more traditional games and toys are grabbing attention as well, such as Jacks and kazoos (“kids say, ‘I’ll have a go at that!’”). But two products that have really taken off are Pushpoppers from H Grossman under its HGL brand and Reversible Octopus plush toys from Muddlelit.

Deborah is eager to make her customers’ shopping experience as much fun and as comfortable as possible and is keen to ensure that Mapes is “not a ‘don’t touch’ shop. Everything’s out on display for the kids. Often, I’ll unbox a product and put it in the window, so customers can see what it actually looks like, because sometimes the packaging doesn’t give you a clue about what the toy is like inside”.

Another thoughtful initiative Deborah offers is Lucky Dip bags, which she puts together herself. These include a £1 bag of fi ve items such as a pencil, rubber, bouncy ball, punch balloon and fl ying glider, and a £2.50 version which offers “something to do or make. There’s a little art thing like a ‘chip away and fi nd the diamond in the sand’ egg, or a creative kit which could be a paint-your-own suncatcher for the girls. For boys, I tend to put in a wee alien or a fridge magnet that they can make. “The bags were started by the previous owner and have been going for 20 years. I purposely go out looking for something different to include in them, because if kids are here for the whole summer holidays, they don’t want the same thing week after week. So I change the contents regularly.”

With summer on the horizon, what’s next for Mapes of Millport? “We’re just keen to get back to a bit of normality,” Deborah says, “and, of course, we’re looking forward to a change for the better - and hopefully good weather!”