Hello everyone,
Well, I told you last week that Stage 2 of the Karen George reset was underway…
And on Sunday afternoon, it was all hands to the pump!
Ian, George, his girlfriend Isla and I all descended on the shop and got to work.
Ian and George tackled the cupboards, ripping them out and breaking them up before moving one of the rails for me, while Isla and I cleared up the mess behind them and loaded everything into the car ready for the tip.
Then came the hoovering, cleaning and putting everything back together again.
Great teamwork!
And I LOVE IT.
Removing those cupboards has created so much more space and, more importantly, it’s allowed me to merchandise the clothes properly – grouping pieces and colours together and giving everything room to breathe.
And it seems I’m not the only one who likes it.
You do too!
We’ve had lots of people popping in to see the changes this week and the reaction has been so encouraging.
Everyone seems to agree that the shop feels so much better already – and once those remaining sale rails eventually reduce to just one, it’s going to feel even more spacious.
Little by little, we’re getting there.
And after all that hard work, I’ve had the most LOVELY week in the shop.
New stock, lovely customers and some fabulous sales
We’ve been blessed with another week of beautiful weather, which has brought some familiar faces back to Emsworth, including regular visitors from Wimbledon and Guildford.
But I’ve also met some lovely new customers.
One lady had travelled down on the train from Hammersmith because she was scouting Emsworth as a possible destination for her walking group of around 40 people next May.
We got chatting while she was trying on some clothes and she explained that they particularly wanted somewhere near the water.
Then, while she was in the fitting room, I suddenly thought…
The Deck!
After she’d chosen her purchases, we looked it up together, I showed her which way to walk and she left her shopping bag with me while she went off to investigate.
Some time later she came back into the shop absolutely thrilled.
She’d had lunch there…
And booked it for the group next year!
She was so grateful, but really it was nothing for me to help.
Although obviously I did tell her that when all 40 of them come to Emsworth next May…
she has to bring them into the shop! 😂
Well, you’ve got to try, haven’t you?!
Then came my own private fashion show…
Another of my lovely regular ladies came over from Warsash with her husband, John.
It’s always a pleasure to see them.
John settles himself into the chair and points out the things he thinks his wife should try on, and then we get treated to our own little fashion show!
She looked fabulous in everything and eventually left with a couple of bags of goodies.
In fact, she loved one pair of trousers SO much that later that day she contacted me and asked me to post her exactly the same pair in another colour.
I love that.
It’s another little reminder of why I enjoy what I do so much – helping someone find clothes they feel fabulous in and seeing them genuinely excited about the pieces we’ve chosen for the shop.
And the NEW stock is winning!
A couple more pairs of sale shoes have left the building this week, along with another couple of pairs of sale trousers…
But interestingly, the majority of this week’s sales have been NEW STOCK.
And handbags!
Oh my goodness, the handbags.
They’ve gone so well that I’ve already had to place a top-up order!
They’re such good value and clearly you’ve noticed too.
We also welcomed back a relatively new customer who moved down to Emsworth from London and has been busy renovating her house.
When she first moved here, we introduced her to Robell trousers.
Big mistake. 😂
She’s now hooked!
She came back this week and left very happily with THREE new pairs.
And actually, trousers and jeans in general have been really popular this week – a sure sign that we’re gradually moving into Autumn.
This week’s temptation…
I’ve chosen this lovely Adini dress to show you this week.
It’s made from cotton slub jersey and is one of those wonderfully versatile dresses that could work just as easily for a casual Autumn day as it could for something a little more special.
Sadly, this is part of the final Adini collection.
After all these years of stocking and loving the brand, we’re really going to miss them.
So if you’re an Adini fan, this is one collection I wouldn’t leave too long before coming to see.
And that goes for all the new arrivals really.
My new approach is working: smaller quantities, more frequent newness and a shop that feels fresh every time you visit.
But smaller quantities also mean that when something goes…
it may really be gone.
So, ladies… this is where you come in!
As positive as everything feels – and it really DOES feel positive at the moment – all this gorgeous new stock still has to be paid for!
That’s where you come in. 😂
If you haven’t visited for a while, please come and see what we’ve been doing.
Have a look at the new layout, rummage through the remaining sale bargains, try on some of the new Autumn pieces, stroke a handbag or two…
You never know what might follow you home!
We’re making small improvements, slowly but surely, and I’m determined to make Karen George somewhere you genuinely enjoy coming to shop – where you can browse without pressure, have a chat, try things on and get an honest opinion if you’d like one.
And my Fairy Emma keeps checking up on me, so I need to be able to keep giving her good reports! 🪄😂
A little Vinny adventure…
We’re actually escaping in Vinny this weekend.
Ian has to take his motorbike down towards Christchurch/Ringwood for a service, so naturally I’ve managed to turn that into a mini holiday!
Well… why wouldn’t you?
It’s also going to be our first opportunity to try out our new awning, which I am ridiculously excited about.
We’re not back until Monday, so KC will be looking after the shop for me on Monday, and then Lyn will be holding the fort on Wednesday.
Wednesday will be a much more difficult day for me as I’ll be saying goodbye to my lovely friend Mike.
And perhaps that makes this little weekend away in Vinny feel even more important.
Life can change far too quickly, and sometimes we need the reminder to make the plans, take the little trips, spend time with the people we love and enjoy the ordinary moments while we can.
So until next week…
Take care of each other, live life to the full and, above all, be kind.
Karen xx
Open Monday–Saturday | 10am–4pm
