This is by
far the strangest thing I have ever done – an interview with myself. However we
are asked a lot about how and why Artichoke began so I will try to answer this the best I can as well as saying a bit about myself.
How long have you been at Artichoke?
Artichoke has
been going for about a decade now & I have been there since day one.
Initially I worked from home with a girl friend and whilst our children were at
school or safely tucked up in bed we would take our transit van full of clothes
to fundraising events in Norfolk & Suffolk.
Why did you chose to open a shop on
and industrial estate in Hackford – which some might think is the middle of
nowhere – rather than your local High Street?
Once
Artichoke outgrew my home I started looking for premises but soon
realised that the logistics of running a mobile shop from somewhere like Wymondham
High Street would be a nightmare. We needed to have doorstep
parking (initially for our van, although it has proved invaluable for a lot of our
customers!) be accessible and near other outlets. Hackford is ideal as it is
almost in the centre of Norfolk, on the main road from Watton to Norwich and
less than a mile away from two of Norfolk’s best known shoe shops Unisa &
Romba Footwear.
What is the ethos behind Artichoke?
Mary Portas famously highlighted the
difficulties that the age 40 plus urban woman has shopping on the High
Street. As a customer recently said to us – if you add ‘who lives in the
country’ into the equation you might as well forget it! We hope we solve that
dilemma.
Budget is also a consideration for us - we
want our customers to feel fabulous without breaking the bank.
Do you have a background in retail?
Not at all
and so it has been a sharp learning curve. Before I had my children, although
married to a Norfolk pig farmer, I was still pursuing my career heading up the
sales team of a shipping company based in Essex. Once I had my daughter however
I moved up to Norfolk permanently and haven’t really left the county much
since…..can’t believe I just said that
but it is true!
What do you like most about your job
I Love my
job!
I love
meeting hundreds of fabulous women each year……
I feel
privileged to be able to give something back to society –each year Artichoke
donates over £6000 to East Anglian Charities as well as helping them raise over
ten times that amount.
When at
Hackford I love the fun that we have with customers that have become friends –
helping them through the inevitable lows in life as well as sharing the highs…..
I love
helping someone who has had a wobble get her confidence back. Very often all it
takes is something as simple as a cracking pair of jeans to put some sassy back
into their step!
This could be
a very long answer so it might be easier to say what I hate – admin!
What is your personal style signifier? i.e. what is it about you that people
recognise as you?
Cropped bleached hair and red lipstick.
I had both when I was seventeen and have never
seen much point of going off message since. I think the proper term is having a
‘classic outlook to style’. Really I am just boring and busy.
 |
| My lovely new Beetle bag from Artichoke |
What was your last purchase?
My last purchase from Artichoke was my fabby
LouenHide Beetle bag. Before I had my children I always had small, stylish
handbags but for the past seventeen years have fallen into the habit of
carrying a small suitcase around with me. My New Years resolution this year was
to give my shoulders and back a break and the Beetle ticks all the boxes. Compact
and stylish as well as practical and hard wearing.
My last purchase from another shop was these
lovely boots from our neighbours Unisa – a bargain in their winter sale –
reduced from £200 to £40!
What is in your wardrobe?
Not a lot.
People are always surprised that Andrea and I don’t have vast clothing
collections. We select a few pieces each season, wear them to death and then
Pass them on.
The exception to this is posh frocks and evening wear as I no longer have a
life so they go on for ever!
What is your favourite piece? (s)
Without doubt
my Anna Montanna stretch jeans – they are by far the most comfortable jeans I
have ever had. Not as popular in the shop as the Monika & Dora styles as
they are a skinny rather than straight leg, they are for me perfection. I wear
the Capri cut in the summer too.
 |
| My Anna Montanna Skinny Jeans again from Artichoke |
What do you in your spare time
With two teenage children, a senile cat, two
dogs, 60 sheep and about 400 pigs I don’t have a lot! I do however love food so like to go out for a meal on the rare occasions I can stay awake later than
9 o’clock
What was the last meal that truly impressed you.
Sunday’s roast when I cooked some of our own
Scotts Field Pork. I never cease to be amazed by the succulence and taste of our Large Black Pork and am incredibly proud of the amazing job that my husband does.
Before that I was bowled over by the spread that
our friends Chris & Sandy served at their Christmas bash – it is my
ambition to be like an elderly gentle lady of yore and take myself to live at
their lovely B & B, Ladywood Lodge
On the going out front it is Strattons every
time.
What is the book on your bedside table?
These change regularily as although I don’t watch
a lot of telly I am an avid reader. A lot of the books I inherit from friends
as we tend to pass everything we have read on. At the moment it is ‘The
Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society’ by Mary Ann Shaffer. Something
I would not have bought but am so pleased I have been given as I am loving every
word.
