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 […]
A new perspective on shopping
I have always thought I’m a good shopper. Not for groceries or anything practical, I hasten to add, but for clothing, books and homewares … things that I adore. I can spend many, many happy hours looking, admiring and buying. But despite being a devoted shopper, nothing can quite prepare you for the first time you order hundreds of […]
Making the decision and acting on it
Since I started this incredible new adventure, I have had a lot of people confide in me and say they have been thinking about changing their careers and their lives “for ages” and how brave I must be. I feel almost guilty when I share that my decision wasn’t long thought out … in fact, […]