Sonya and Tanya bank on keeping Carlisle customers happy
Housed in a grade II-listed former bank, Sonya Haandrikman-Sibbald runs Celebrations in Carlisle with her mum Tanya Haandrikman, where customers can also enjoy a tot or two at the café bar made out of the panelling from the old manager’s office.
And the pair know just how to keep their customers happy on the product front too, banking on picking just the right greeting card designs to meet their needs. Here Sonya reveals some of the bestselling ranges in their shop…
Everyday
Jonny Javelin’s Velvet is an excellent selling traditional range for us, Jonny Javelin has a very good following in our area and customers specifically ask for this publisher by name.
Emotional Rescue’s Folx – what’s not to love! This is just a great range!
Bexy Boo’s Lily Loves. It was nice to see the new stock at PG Live and I’ve been happy with the repeat orders.
Paperlink’s Pick ’N’ Mix. A particular card has caught my attention for the amount that it was turning on the shelf. It’s a Thank You card that customers just love! Its simplicity and appealing design make it suitable to send for any occasion.
Relations & Occasions
Cherry Orchard’s Grace. The dark backgrounds really stand out on the shelf. This range is literally a favourite in every section of our store!
Belly Button Designs’ Glow is going really well for us at the moment across the board, the bright and fun designs stand out on the shelf and the price point is really good too.
Humour
You can’t go past Rosie Made A Thing Gin & Frolics for a sound humour range. We’ve also got the Rosie coasters and mini mints at the till point as pick-ups and they’re flying out!
Paper Salad/Emotional Rescue Is It Friday Yet? is perfect for our target market and a personal favourite of mine, the neon colours are eye catching and the captions just hit the nail on the head!
Children’s
Grass Roots’ Jelly Beans’ relations ages are in high demand. People come to us because we have such a big store and they know they’re going to be able to get what they’re looking for.
Adult Ages
Cherry Orchard’s Down Memory Lane is a keepsake and a card al in one, just great sellers.
Belly Button Designs’ Elle is gorgeous quality with super stylish cards which appeal to our customer base.
Cute
Paper Shed Design’s Pawsitively Purrfect has adorable characters which are beautifully illustrated.
UK Greetings’ Boofle is an all-round good-selling cute range in all sections. We supported Boofle on his 15th anniversary with lots of events happening in our store which really gave a lift to our Boofle sales and the brand.
Photographic
Abacus’ BBC Countryfile. We’re blessed to be located on the doorstep of the Lake District and have a huge farming community in our area so these beautifully photographed cards are ideal for us.
Noel Tatt’s Cube has bright and bold photography, the colours just pop on the shelf.
Giftwrappings
Got to be Glick! Fabulous product across the board and a lovely company to do business with. Glick keep their designs up to date and on trend, our bestselling range is Stephanie Dyment, the colours and designs are stylish which is a favourite for the lovely ladies who shop with us.
Gifts
Pebble by La De Da Living. We have supported this range from when it was very first released and it has just grew and grew, which is lovely to see for a small company. The beautiful product is handmade and can be personalised to create bespoke designs. It’s great for a UK designed and manufactured product to flying off the shelves.
And all things Jellycat! This company has such a good brand following that literally anything sells.
These views also appeared in the July edition of Progressive Greetings magazine which can be read online here, or you can subscribe here to receive the magazine by post each month.
