If it's political, we'll stock it. Luckily for us, the demand we anticipated has been there. Sighs of relief have been breathed because despite the best worked financial calculations and business plans, we had nothing to compare the concept with. But after five months we are still here and now looking forward to getting our web site and mail order catalogues up and running. But if there is one lesson we have learned, it is not to try to do everything at once.
Most independents fear the strength of the chains.
Specialist stores are not immune to these fears but no one should fear fair competition. Our main concern is being able remain independent but at the same time being able to grow the business and expand without either having to either borrow huge sums or bring demanding new investors into the business. Time will tell. I'd happily settle for still being here and enjoying it in five years time. Sometimes you just know when you've found your niche in life.