A little bit behind the curtain…
If you’ve seen some of our social media posts recently, you’ll have an idea of how many new and exciting things are happening at the moment. Autumn for us is not only a favourite season - cosiness and warmth and crisp mornings - but also a very important time in preparation for the months to come, which are our busiest! And we have been squirrelling away (sometimes in plain sight, others out of view) with some brilliant ideas, fantastic new stock, and a healthy dose of organisational chaos!
At the beginning of September, the Team went on an adventure to a European trade fair, which featured in a reel on our social media for you eagle eyed followers! European trade fairs are (as expected) very different to the usual UK ones that the Team visit, so we came away very inspired, and with loads of incredible new stockists with products that we know that you will adore. Besides some delayed flights, it was a brilliant experience, but as with every trade fair and influx of newness, we have lots of processing of deliveries to do (the slightly less fun part).
So with that, we’ve been doing a lot of streamlining in our stock room - including some testing of wills over flat pack shelving - to ensure that running up to our busiest months we are as smooth operationally as possible…and maximising as much space for stock as possible. If you’ve been a customer since the very beginning, you’ll know that we love a furniture change and move around more than anyone! Naturally, this went from our stock room, to our downstairs and our first floor too. We always end up saying ‘why didn’t we ever have the lay out like this?!’ each time we have a move around, and we just hope that our updated floor plan makes your shopping experience even more enjoyable.
On the topic of our first floor, we’ve had a bit of a throwback down memory lane (but with a present-time twist!). We are well known now as not only the home of thoughtful gifting, but also filthy cards. Whilst our more tame cards are on display, we have always hid the proper naughty ones away in a special draw (if you know, you know!). But unless you were in on the “best kept secret”, we felt that customers were missing our on this simply un-missable experience. So to rectify this, we’ve now dedicated two cards stands, hidden away behind our fancy screens, for the rudest cards on the market. This way they are on the shop floor (like our old original Rude Card Cupboard) but hidden away enough to not give anyone a bit of a shock!
We have also began to reflect the changing seasons in our stock too. Whilst may places are rushing head first into the C-word (the December one, not the rude one), we are still firmly in Autumn here at Harriet and Rose. As we turn inward and the days and nights grow darker and cooler, we’ve embraced this shift and welcomed all that is Autumn. From cosy essentials - such as our fashionable pyjamas, cashmere gloves, and softest socks - to all our spooky favourites (pumpkin bowls, jugs, plates and more!) we are holding the fort for every lover of this season out there! There’s plenty of gothic good reads (and some brilliant fiction) perfect for curling up in the evenings, as well as witchy and folklore books galore.
And whilst not autumnal in the slightest, we’ve also been lucky enough to secure a brand new batch of our Wet Bags, all the way from Australia. As they are firmly on their way to their summer, the new designs are exciting and bright, and if you happened to miss out on a wet bag in the summer, or none of the designs took your fancy - look no further! We have gingham, flowers, polka dots, bees and more, in a range of colours. Whilst we know you may not want to think about the coming months (and the looming C-word), these do make the most fantastic gifts for those that love swimming - whether in the sea, or in a pool! - as well as great waterproof nappy bags too.
If you fancy a laugh, some cosiness, or simply a wander around to find the things you never knew you needed (but that complete your life!) then pop in and see us. We’re back to 10-5 Monday to Saturday at the moment, but Sundays will begin to pop up come November and into December. See you soon!