Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - Page number 142 - July/August 2021

142 Tell us a bit about your store and how you came to open the business. We are a small independent jewellery shop, which opened in 2007, selling only handmade pieces by mainly UK-based individual makers. I have been a self employed jeweller and silversmith since I graduated in 1996 and originally opened the shop as a permanent showcase for my work and all the other talented jewellers whose work I admired. Is the location important to the success of your store? We are located on a busy high street in a residential area of Hove that I considered to be ‘up and coming’. It has taken a while, but we now have other lovely shops here as well as artisanal bakeries and coffee shops – there’s even a Costa! Brighton and Hove has always been bursting with creativity and is a perfect location for a store such as mine. What challenges were overcome when the company was starting out? The area did not have any really nice shops when we first opened, and I was told various unsupportive things like “you’ll never last around here” and it’s known as ‘Bankruptcy Alley.’ It was also just before the economy took a turn for the worse in 2008. The shop was also in a state of disrepair and needed extensive renovation and building work to create a retail space and workshops for eight jewellers. What is your customer base? It’s very varied, from local, young families to serious jewellery buyers who come from further afield. We also make a lot of engagement and weddings rings for customers who want something less traditional and a little more unusual. I am very fortunate in that I have a very loyal customer base who return regularly and love to commission special pieces. What’s your USP? Everything is made by hand and predominantly in the UK with the exception of one jeweller who is based in Australia. Many of the pieces are one-offs and most of the rest are small scale repeatable items, so nothing is mass produced. What are your current bestselling lines? Probably our range of hammered silver and gold engagement and wedding rings, which are designed and made in our workshops behind the gallery. Sometimes a particular maker sells very well, and at the moment Brighton-based jeweller Cara Tonkin’s work seems to be flying out! Are you active on social media, and how do you use it for your business? We mainly use Instagram and Facebook but at the moment we only use it to provide a feed of nice images rather than any promotions. This is just due to lack of staff/time to do more! What brands do you stock and why? We deliberately don’t stock any brands, only