Chelle Thompson reveals bestsellers in her cute bow-windowed store
Independent greeting card stores come in all shapes and sizes, and their owners are just as diverse, each with their own flavour on how best to serve their customers.
But one thing they all have in common is an expertise in the card industry, keeping track of how things are going in store, what’s selling well, the latest trends and what customers are looking for.
Every month PG taps into that knowledge by asking indie retailers to reveal all about what’s hot in their corner of the world, and here it’s Chelle Thompson’s turn from The Shop On The Island in South Molton, with its cute bow front and wide range of cards and gifts, plus toys, games and balloons.
Everyday
The Eco-Friendly Card Company, general – “They’re really good, we can’t get enough of their art cards and they seem to be always adding new ones, which is nice.”
IC&G, Most Especially For You – “These are good. It’s cool and very wordy and people like that.”
Relations & Occasions
Great British Card Company, Opia – “GBCC really seems to have upped its game of late, and Opia is a range that is doing well at the moment. The designs are sophisticated, a bit different, and just bright and lovely. They just go.”
Humour
Emotional Rescue, Model Family – “This is my top range. They’re naughty but not naughty if you know what I mean. People love them, they can’t get enough of them.”
Adult Ages
IC&G, Year You Were Born – “We don’t really do children’s cards but this range goes from 13 and people really like them. The cards feature loads of information, a lot of it quite surprising. When you look and think ‘bloody hell, I didn’t realise that’, and ‘how much was bread back then, I’m not that old’!”
Art
The Eco-Friendly Card Company, general – “I’ve mentioned these already but they’re so good across the board. Most customers pick up at least one of these with any other cards they’re buying. Most of the time it’s a minimum two or three cards each sale.”
Cute
Noel Tatt, Bree Merryn – “Not cute exactly but fun, a cow with curlers in its hair and stuff like that. We’re a rural community so people love the farming side of things so we always tend to have farm-ish animals, the cows, chickens, little pigs and sheep, but all quirky ones, so it makes you smile.”
3D/Pop-Ups
Noel Tatt, ZigZag – “They’re really good, and quite new. For the price you get a lot of card, people like that, good value and interesting, and a bit different.”
Giftwrappings
UK Greetings, general – “I do buy flat wrap from the wholesalers but, mostly, it’s rolls, and I get those from UKG. It’s good quality, they do look nice and they only come in sixes, so you can have a huge variety as you don’t have to buy boxes of 48. It’s great as it gives a really decent choice.”
Gifts
Joe Davies, Recycled Pet Pals – “A shop across the road does Jellycat so we don’t but we have Joe Davies’ take on it, all made out of recycled bottles and stuff. We’ve got elephants and the little octopus is very sweet, unicorns. They’re just really cutesy little plush and we sell a lot.”
Bomb Cosmetics, general – “We sell quite a lot of this, people do really love these sponges that are pre-loaded with the soap, and their bath bombs. People like the good price and nice quality. It’s great for kids and adults. Everyone loves a bath or a shower with one of those body buffers. Really nice.”
Blue Lily Jewellery – “Nice silver jewellery, that’s always good. Really reasonable. They’re in the proper little earring boxes.”
These views also appeared in the March edition of Progressive Greetings magazine which can be read online here, or you can subscribe here to receive the magazine by post each month.
