Every year, the media do stories in January purporting outrage that hot cross buns have appeared on supermarket shelves already. The implication is that we have just had Christmas and already retailers are thinking ahead to Easter and associated products to sell while the occasion is still several months away. Well, it’s not just hot […]
Behind the Brand: J.Renee
Kai Harrison, the head designer of US shoe label J.Renee, clearly adores his parents who have taught him not just about designing and selling shoes, but how to do so with honesty and integrity. Kai embraces creativity in all aspects of his life … from his open plan studio where he and his team […]
Meeting the accountant
Numbers scare me! I can’t help it. I see a spreadsheet and I start to feel queasy. Over the last 10 years, when I was responsible for managing large fundraising and communications budgets, I learned to quell my nerves and give the numbers meaning. I find myself again staring at spreadsheets, ever since deciding to […]
Behind the Brand: Minx
I think it is the journalist in me but I’m always fascinated by people and want to know more about them! I am proud to stock a variety of labels at The Shoe Garden but who are the people behind the brands. This is the first in an ongoing series of Behind the Brand — speaking […]
Not bored but inspired!
When I first decided to open a shoe shop, a few people asked me whether or not I thought I would get bored. In fact, one friend asked me just last week. So far … no way! I’m having too much fun, learning new things all the time and I love every moment. I guess […]
The neverending search for stock
People often ask me: “where and how do you source your stock?”. They visit the shop and are amazed that there are, in fact, so many lovely, longer shoes available but I do have to search high and low for them, often I pay higher prices for them and sometimes only a small portion of […]
I own a shoe shop!
I am the owner of a shoe shop. It still sounds strange to my ears after more than two decades in the media. But last Friday, it really felt like I wasn’t a journo or a PR/Fundraising manager anymore but a real shoe shop owner! Three deliveries arrived at The Shoe Garden, one expected and […]
You are not alone
A woman walks into a shop and asks for a size 11 shoe. The shop assistant responds: “We don’t have any 11s. Would you like to try on a 9?” I have heard variations of this story from at least a dozen women since opening The Shoe Garden. We groan every time and wonder about […]
Dream, then believe, then create
A few people have asked me if there were any books that were valuable to me when starting my small business. I did read a few, none worthy of mention, except my favourite one by Olympic champion swimmer Hayley Lewis “Dream, Believe, Create”, which I read a few months before I opened The Shoe Garden. […]
When is a shop a shop?
“Mummy … who lives here?”. As the little girl’s mother and I tried not to laugh, the mother replied: “No one darling. This is a shoe shop.” Back in January, as I was busy buying stock, I was also thinking about how to decorate my shop. I was fortunate to find the perfect premises straight […]