Rebekah Mudie, owner/director at Daisy Daisy – Beautiful Cards & Gifts, a shop in Llanishen, North Cardiff, answers our Retail Talk questions. You can read more retailers’ opinions in the March/April issue of Greetings Today
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Did you go to Spring Fair? If so how was it, did you find any surprise gems?
Yes I went to the Spring Fair and have been going for the past few years. I attended on the Tuesday and always feel covering this trade exhibition in one day a bit of an overwhelming whistlestop tour. Ideally I would have preferred two days to cover everything without rushing, but it’s just as well we didn’t have more time or I’d have over-spent!
I took my husband with me as I feel better about buying when I have someone else’s valuable opinion, just in case I get carried away – like a kid in a sweet shop! We got some Christmas orders done as well as a few Everyday orders with both current and new suppliers.
I really enjoy the Spring Fair especially finding new products that I’m excited to offer my customers. Name a woman who wouldn’t love a largescale shopping trip eh?!
I came across Rex London which I hadn’t purchased from before, and which has a lovely selection of affordable and quirky gifts and designs. I also placed an order with Crumble & Core for its jewellery cards and new range of humorous designs, among others…
What’s selling well for you at the moment?
Greeting cards wise we’re doing really well at Daisy Daisy with a large range of Ling Designs and Great British Card Company’s stock – particularly their new open designs such as Sweetpea Sky for the ladies and Darkroom’s new photographic animals and scenes. IC&G’s milestone Year cards are a top seller here. Woodmansterne‘s familiar Quentin Blake range is popular and we’ve always done really well with Jonny Javelin‘s traditional cards with sentimental verses inside!
Caroline Gardner’s modern designs are a great seller but her recent price increase may see a dip. Welsh card supplier offerings have improved so those sales have picked up for us too here in Cardiff. Gift wise – we literally cannot get enough JellyCats! Wild Olive natural bathing products and candles etc are gorgeous and do well for us. Belly Button’s cards and gifts are great, particularly the Welsh language flower jugs. I also have to mention Peace of Mind, which has a wonderful affordable range of jewellery, scarves and accessories that sell like hot cakes.
How was Valentines for you? What sold well/not well. Will this affect how/what you order for next year?
You never quite know how Valentines is going to go! I always feel it’s a bit of a last-minute pick-up. The cards trickle out for a few weeks leading up to February 14, and then a couple of days before it goes mad! I wouldn’t say this year was our best or our worst Valentines, it was just fine really. At least it’s not an occasion that necessarily relies on postage as our loved ones are seen more often than not in person. I will likely base next year’s order on a similar volume to 2025.
How did you feel about the Spring Statement?
Thankfully our small independent business is in a good place so I’m trying not to worry too much, however we are most certainly continuing to face nerve wracking challenging times. Our sales margins remain the same however we will now see quite a jump in overheads, particularly wages and rates. More needs to be done to support local community high streets and businesses like ours. I will be working hard to concentrate on maximising customer footfall but I’m most concerned about the price increases and forthcoming changes with the Royal Mail Postal service at the moment.
Read Retail Talk at https://issuu.com/lemapublisihng/docs/greetings_today_march_april_2025/40
