WOMAN & HOME MAGAZINE

OLD JOB: Graphic designer.

NEW JOB: Runs two branches of Blue, selling quirky clothing and accessories. Visit www.bluewomensclothing.com.

START-UP COSTS: £7,000 (taken from the sale of the squash club).

ESTIMATED FIRST YEAR’S TURNOVER: £80,000.

BEST MOVE: Constantly moving forward. We’ve recently launched the website, which I hope is going to be our best move ever!

WORST MISTAKE: Being too trusting. I took a risk on an unknown designer and paid for a stand at a trade show to sell his range. But when he saw how well it was selling he ordered me off the stand and denied we had a business agreement.

TOP TIP: Always trust your instincts.

“The series of events that led to me running my shop in a prestige location in Cheltenham and another in Bath has been far from straightforward! My brother lived near Cheltenham, and back in the 90s my partner and I fell in love with the area. So, we bought a small squash club. It was in the middle of the countryside with only four courts and almost immediately I realised that our impulse buy was a disaster. The only way to make money was through the bar and by cooking food for players coming off court. If we could have sold up we would have, but the property market was in a lull and it was impossible. We limped along, opening at weekends as a Blues club to help pay the bills. Halfway through the evening we would open one court as a ‘gallery’ and sell clothing and paintings, which kept us afloat. By the time we managed to sell, the constant financial struggle had put a terrible strain on our relationship, and my partner and I separated. However, running the ‘gallery’ at the squash club had convinced me that I wanted to work with clothes. It had also given me the chance to see that there was a market for special, unique pieces. Just weeks after selling the club I started looking for premises for a shop. My first venture was taking the lease on what had been a tiny book shop in the village of Nailsworth. I filled it mainly with clothes from a German designer I’d found online, but it didn’t need much stock to feel full. Six months after I’d opened the shop, a woman who owned a store in Cheltenham told me that they were looking for someone to take over their lease. It was perfect and I filled it with wonderful clothes for women over 30, which are fun and distinctive. Many of the designers were happy for me to stock their clothes on a sale-or-return basis, which kept costs down. The location of the shop in the centre of Cheltenham is incredible. We were an immediate success and I've never had to advertise. I love textures and textiles, and the clothes attract creative types - artists and writers - so we are always especially busy during the literary festival. I recently closed the Nailsworth shop as it was too small to make a decent profit, and so now I ferry between the shop in Cheltenham and another I opened in Bath in 2002. I have eight people working for me, but I’ve never advertised for staff, as they’ve just turned up or been recommended by friends – and they’re all loyal and wonderful. I now source clothes from student design shows and trade shows like Pure and Prêt a Porter. I travel throughout the country to see designers or artists making accessories, and in the buying season I will often go to London, Hamburg and Paris – and sometimes to the States. I’m constantly on the look-out for new innovative creations; there are lots of great things coming out of Australia and New Zealand at the moment. I love to shop, but buying for Blue can be stressful, as you are never sure that what you like will sell, but I go with my gut instinct. I’m more focused on the stock than the business side, so I’ve hired an accountant and a bookkeeper, who comes in once a week. A contact at the local council was also useful when I needed to make sure I was following fire regulations and Health and Safety rules correctly. It hasn’t been easy, but I meet fascinating, creative people every day and I’m never happier than when I’m fiddling with a display in one of my shops!”