Creative Cove has been open for 16 years, more recently taken over by Sandra Jervis, stocking brands such as EcoEco, Pentel, The Pilot Pen Co., Kaweco, Noi, Stabilo, Legami and Catherine Lewis Designs.
Can you give us a little introduction about your shop? Where are you based and what makes your shop stand out?
Creative Cove is in the heart of Lampeter, rural west Wales. It’s a stationery and greetings card shop, an arts and crafts shop, gift and toys as well! We’ve got a bit of everything, an Aladdin’s Cave! In a community like ours and being so far away from other bigger towns, independent retailers are an absolute lifeline and really keep that ‘shop local’ vibe going. We don’t have many chains and it really helps the Indie retailer do well. I like to be different; you can go anywhere and get your generic stuff, but in Creative Cove, I’ve spent the time looking for the obscure and the quirky as well, which people seem to love! Obviously the shop isn’t a one man band! I have a great team behind me and my husband found a way to be at home more with our children so that I could throw myself into the shop more. Everyone brings something different to the shop when they’re here which helps me cover so much more.
What made you get into the stationery industry?
I came upon it by chance really! I’d arrived in Lampeter as an 18 year old going to university and knew before I’d landed that I wasn’t going to be leaving any time soon. So I ended up staying, doing various retail jobs, married and going to baby groups with my young child (now one of three!). Whilst there, I met a great group of friends and a few of us used to go for a walk each week (followed by cake). It was on one of these walks that my friend said to me she was thinking of selling her shop… And that was that. I ran home to my husband, told him I wanted to buy a shop and hey presto! It took a lot of juggling and soul searching but I finally felt like I’d found a piece of myself that I didn’t even know was missing!
What is the best part of your job?
What’s not to love? I literally skip to work! I love listening to people’s excitement as they walk about the shop and then when they’ve delighted in telling you why they love what they’ve bought you can still hear them outside on the pavement saying how wonderful it is – that little secret whisper that I wasn’t meant to hear but did…
What’s your favourite industry memory?
We’re always being asked whether we stock certain things… our strangest request yet is do we sell spring onions? In a stationery shop? Oh dear!
Can you tell us three interesting facts about your shop?
- I have a hidden trap door near the till… it squeaks every time you walk over it!
- We sell cards in Cymraeg as well as English! Welsh is very much the first language for many in our area and it’s great having modern cards in both languages.
- We have over 3000 different product lines in the shop… Which isn’t bad for a small business like mine!
What is your favourite stationery product of all time?
The humble notebook. I don’t think there is a single stationery item that evokes more emotion or satisfaction than this. People spend ages finding the right cover, the right feel of paper, the smell and feel of it. It’s fascinating watching people choose, it’s a bit like dogs and their owners… You can usually match the notebook with the customer! We all have a treasured notebook that leapt out at us from a shop somewhere and claimed us as their own. No one else dare touch it and every time we see it, we are transported back to that moment.
What is your current favourite stationery product that customers can find in your store?
It has to be the Woodland Creatures list pad and clipboard by Noi Publishing – it’s bright, quirky and makes you want to create a list just for the sheer fun of it.
If you had to give one piece of advice to another store owner, what would it be
Don’t be afraid to make changes! I’m so glad I’ve finally found the courage to try new things, shake it up a bit and step away from things that just aren’t quite working. Change is fun and exhilarating!
