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Holly Wilson’s
From The Frontline Right: Holly and Fatima (manager of Richard Dare) with the Bira Cookshop and Housewares Retailer of the Year trophy at the Excellence in Housewares Awards
Here we are again! Into the last quarter! The summer was a mixed bag. Prep had a strong summer but Richard Dare was not quite so buoyant - those Primrose Hill folk know how to holiday! However with all the uncertainty I think that it could have been a lot worse.
Counting down T here is definite nervousness around spending and footfall is quite noticeably down in both locations. September’s arrival and return to school didn’t give the normal kick to trade but come the end of September things started to pick up and October is looking promising. Let’s make hay before whatever happens from the 31st onwards. So I’ve applied for my EORI number and have now completed my TSP form. I am putting off looking at tariffs and customs software until we really know what’s happening but I’ve got the bare minimum done in the fateful event of ‘no deal’. It at least feels slightly more reassuring that we are getting more information on steps to take to prepare. We are being told to stock up pre-October 31 but who can actually afford to hold all their Christmas stock in advance and who has a stock room big enough? Certainly not me! So as ever I am winging it, getting in the stock I can hold for now and hoping for the best. I can’t do anything else. As an aside, I just want to address an issue that I find incredibly frustrating. That is reps and agents dropping in without appointments. I find it incredibly disrespectful if I’m being totally honest. I know that times are hard and I also know
that I can be quite hard to pin down or get hold of - I’m a busy single mum of two, running two businesses and trying to move house in the last quarter! But rest assured, if I need to see someone I will. Let me forewarn you, dropping in as you "were passing” will not get you an appointment! Even if you are just popping in to say hello or have a quick look around it is courteous to give a phone call first to see if it is convenient. No one has ever been able to come in and not expect a moment of mine or my staff’s time and I think this is hugely unfair. We have a lot to do, especially at this time of year, and we plan our time accordingly. This already gets messed up by those pesky customers and deliveries, so we need to use the rest of our time in store for the jobs that need doing and we have planned for. So please respect our time and make an appointment. We are now in preparations for Halloween, which is a big deal in Stokey. Window displays are going in and events are being planned on the street. We are also working as a community in Stokey and Primrose Hill to put on Christmas events. They can be quite hit and miss in their success but its
PROGRESSIVE
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HOUSEWARES
always nice to have a festive coming together of traders and kickstart people’s Christmas shopping locally. And to finish, Woohoo!! It was so brilliant to win Bira Cookshop and Housewares Retailer of the Year at the Excellence in Housewares Awards. It really was such a surprise! I wasn’t expecting it all with such great stores in our category. Sadly Janeta was sick so couldn’t attend but Fatima and I had a wonderful evening being hosted by our faves, Bira. The comedian Stuart Goldsmith was great and whipped through the awards, and then it was onto the casino tables where I spent most of my time trying to stand next to people with big piles of chips and then copying them (to try and win the big prize of a trip to Chicago). It worked for a while but eventually I crashed out. Maybe next year Chicago! Best of luck with Brexit everyone and let’s hope that the stock continues to flow in smoothly and we all have prosperous and busy Christmas trade. We can but hope! Holly Wilson is the owner of North London’s Prep Cookshop in Stoke Newington and Richard Dare in Primrose Hill.