In the final the run-up to the General Election, PGBuzz asked Sue Butcher, co-owner of Present Boutique in Edinburgh, what one thing she would like the elected Prime Minister to do to help the greeting card industry. Plus, with PG Live taking place the immediate two days before the Election, what she’s hoping to find among the 280 exhibitors ‘on the hustings’.
Prime Minister’s Scream: “The beauty of this industry is its diversity and it is a fact that independents continue to thrive in towns across the country because they put thoughtful choices together for their customers. However, the whole rates debacle has recently been a thorny issue for many small businesses – even though they are promised help with any increases, the time scales have a huge impact on cashflow. Therefore we’d like to see the government speeding up the implementation of any appeals/discount schemes so that small independent retailers can continue to plan ahead with confidence.”
PG Live Manifesto: “We were so delighted to be awarded The Retas award for Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer Scotland last year and as part of this we are excited to be taking along our Golden Ticket to spend. We are well known locally for our quirky and original card selection and so we will be heading straight for the Springboard section of the exhibition to seek out anything new, and then we are looking forward to catching up with our regular suppliers.
We love the fact that this event is dedicated to just cards. It has a really different feel from all the other trade shows. Maybe it’s because it is jam packed with talented artistic people, but the whole space has such a great energy about it. Mix this with the free refreshments, and even lunch, and that’s the day sorted – it feels like a real celebration of the industry.”
