Six years exactly to the day since their first Indigo Tree card and gift shop opened (in Streatham, South London) on Saturday (November 10) owners Adam and Harriet de Wolff have ‘branched out’ with a new shop, in Crystal Palace.
“We didn’t do any pre-publicity prior to the opening as we were not sure that the shop would be ready in time, but we are absolutely delighted by the response from our new customers – and the sales! We took more, without any fanfare in our first weekend than our established shop in Streatham,” said a very happy Adam.
Harriet and worked until 4am on the Saturday morning to get the shop ready and stocked, but they both agree it was well worth it.
Harriet and worked until 4am on the Saturday morning to get the shop ready and stocked, but they both agree it was well worth it.
“We were rather adrenaline powered that first day, buoyed up by the lovely comments from customers,” added Adam.
With so much doom and gloom surrounding the retail scene, with all the shop closures and CVAs, Harriet accepts that they are somewhat bucking the trend.
“We have been planning to expand for a while, as we believe that the consumer will respond positively to something different. People still have birthdays and babies in good times and tough ones. Admittedly we had expected the Brexit situation to have been concluded by the time we opened in Crystal Palace, but we believe as long as you offer a product choice that inspires customers, at the right price, then they will spend.”
The de Wolffs are already on the lookout for a third store. “We would like to stay within South London, but having more than one store offers us economies of scale on buying and product selection,” adds Adam.
The new store, located a few miles from its older ‘sibling’ features the same branded look, contemporary rustic shopfittings and carefully curated mix of cards and gifts. Among its best selling card brands are Wendy Jones-Blackett, Rosie Made A Thing, Dandelion Stationery and Stripey Cat Cards.
“We did surprisingly well with sales of Christmas decorations and Christmas card packs in our first weekend in Crystal Palace. The attitude seemed to be ‘let’s get it while it’s here’. We have already committed to joining other Crystal Palace retailers in the Christmas late night shopping activities, known as SE19 Lates, so we’re hoping for a happy Christmas!” said Adam.
Top: The Indigo Tree’s second branch opened for business last Saturday (November 9).
