party on...

I can’t quite believe that it’s one year that we’ve been in our pop up space. Much has changed in the fortunes of Potassium and we seem to have reversed the downward trend we were experiencing at our old location. At the time of writing our numbers are higher then 2009 and close to pre-recession levels of 2008.

Store Street is not just a better location it’s a great location – still with the community feel of our previous store but on a bit of a larger scale. We have not only returned to our original program of events, but the KGBs are still rocking the house too with some familiar faces and some that are newer.

Much of this could not have been achieved without the support of our supplier base. Their flexibility has meant we have been able to refresh our stock and introduce new lines. In addition we’ve partnered with some new labels in particular OUTSIDER who has been a great addition to our mix. Other notable names are Plane Clothing, introduced to us by one of our new friends Rassami, Monkee Genes, Soomin, NV London Calcutta and recently Darlings Little Treasures and Nancy Dee. Underpinning each of the new additions to our assortment is an open honest relationship that creates ethical and eco friendly products for the modern man and woman.

One of our more recent successes has been the introduction of our “Mid-Week Market” which is an extension and development of our original “6 Week Rail”concept. Mid-Week Market has allowed independent ethical/eco designer/makers to set up a stall outside our main shop front. The crowds that appear when Tilt& Wonky’s Vintage Emporium are here are amazing. The smiles on men’s faces as they pass by Darlings Little Treasures make great people watching. Only Miss D can make these guys smile with her South London via Manchester banter. We would like to continue with the Mid-Week Market, so if you or someone you know would like to pitch a Wednesday or Saturday stall tell them to get in touch.

So what’s the plan for 2012? Ideally we would like to stay in our current location although it is a little big for us. The question is what we do with the additional space. If you have ideas, do let me know.

On a global scale I am cautious. There are some real issues in the global economy. Paradigms were set to change after the crash of 2008 but clearly they had not run their full course. Today the banks suggest they are sympathetic but I hear from too many other people in business that they are not. All too frequently they change the rules and the charging tariffs along with them, which puts a huge pressure on independent business – we don’t have deep pockets like the majors, but the reality is that without us there will be no growth. Independent businesses that survive do so because they remain flexible. I feel that Potassium has always been like that adapting to what essentially people want. For independent businesses their strength is to be able to respond and react far quicker than the wheels and cogs of a large corporate and I say this because of a conversation I had recently with a new wine shop that I know. Although a chain of 12 the point they have missed is one I practice; “Think Global Act Local” Listen to your customers and your colleagues. If as an in-store customer I don’t know that you offer a case discount you need to find a way of telling me rather then relying on me searching on your website.

Store Street is signed until the end of January and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to stay beyond that. New products for Spring Summer 2012 have been selected and now I’m thinking how we can celebrate all that London and the UK has to offer in what will be “the greatest show on earth” If the forthcoming season is as strong as this current season has been so far, Potassium will be able to re-launch our much sought after and cherished private label collection.

More imminent than the re-launch of the new Potassium line, is the need to update our website to encompass technological changes. Although currently a miniscule part of our business our web offer is a great way to extend our customer base. Those that have shopped with us on-line have often come back and shopped again - impressed not only with what we sell but how we sell it too. Service after all is where we can make the difference. Our web-shop aims to be as functional and seamless as possible, compatible in all formats including “e” and “m” What we need input on is how to replicate the in-store experience on-line. If you have ideas then do let me know.

So far we’ve concentrated on engaging via social media tools Facebook and Twitter and have seen our followers grow four-fold in six months. These pages don’t just tell you about new arrivals and events but also link to articles that we think may be of interest to those interested in the ethical, the ecological, and the fashion-forward. We like to think of it more as a magazine rather then a “please hand over your credit card” tool although…we don’t mind that either.

Wishing you all a great start to the festive season, and many many thanks for your continued support. By way of thanks I do hope that you will be able to join us for a little celebration on 1/12/11 from 17:00 at the shop. RSVP@potassiumstore.co.uk or via our Party On… event on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=113222175457892

K+

SUSTAINABLE SUMMER...

The summer of sustainability is upon us! Refresh your wardrobe and rejuvenate your skin with Outsider women’s wear and Arbonne's Premium, SWISS & SAFE personal care and wellness products at Potassium. Free trials of the BEST, Natural Anti Aging on the market! Join us on Tuesday 19th April between 12:30 and 20:00 at our Bloomsbury store and meet the people behind the products.

Short presentations by Outsider and Arbonne will unco...ver why ethical and sustainable fashion is key to our future and how natural, botanically based, beauty products are so much better for your wellness and your existing skincare may be Aging you!

Get styling tips from the Creative Director of Outsider Noorin Khamisani and free beauty consultations from Independent Consultant & Executive Area Manager of Arbonne, Katie Young.

In the secret gallery, join Stacy Darling for a jewellery workshop and learn how to make “darling’s little treasures.” Perfect for accessorising the summer of sustainability.

Refreshments will be served throughout the day and regular priced purchases will enjoy a 20% discount.

Tuesday 19th April 2011
12:30 – 20:00
Potassium
29 Store Street
Bloomsbury
London WC1E 7QB
http://www.potassiumlondon.com

with thanks to The Bedford Estates, Coverdale Davis, Outsider, Arnonne UK, and Stacy Darling.

LIFE'S A BEACH...

This season ethical/eco store Potassium celebrates the advent of spring at its pop-up shop in the heart of Bloomsbury. New Spring/Summer 2011 clothing collections from favourites Matt & Nat, Original Penguin, Komodo, Trousers London and Laundry Maid Jeans sit alongside new introductions of ethically sourced bamboo salad and serving bowls in vibrant colours, essential garden accessories for "the thoughtful gardener" and picnic a...ccessories by Nina Jarema's inspired "Folklore" range.

The British seaside inspired event on 23/3/11 will feature Sea Sirens swimwear made in England using colour therapy luxe fabrics to "cultivate your inner goddess TM" The evening will include a catwalk show. An interactive exhibition entitled "Sea Art by Isabelle Bricknall" will continue throughout the day in the secret gallery underneath the store
closing with a live DJ from legendary nightclub Cargo in the evening.

Look out for candy-floss, seaside rock, and lashings of ginger-beer and a bumper 20% off regular priced items on the day.

RSVP is essential rsvp@potassiumstore.co.uk

With thanks to The Bedford Estates, Coverdale Davis, Sea Sirens,
isabelle-bricknall.com, Lisa Greenhalgh Events, DJ Michaels, TCF
Photography and Katie Young from Arbonne

END OF PART ONE AND THE BEGINNING OF PART TWO...

It’s been a while since I last posted on the blog but I think my lack of posts can be justified by what has transpired these last five months. Read on and be enlightened.

Back in 2009 I wrote about the need to support independent shops particularly in these uncertain times. What even I did not foresee was the vigour with which this recession would take hold and affect each and every one of us in habit changing ways. Unfortunately a number of casualties large, small, and teeny tiny ensued and Potassium felt the rapid decline in sales as did many other retailers. This would be the survival of the fittest, and for that read largest with the clout to hammer supplier prices and terms with a rather large mallet. Many of the teeny tiny guys hung on, and with sheer tenacity continued to serve their customers.

Potassium started as an eclectic mix of modern men’s and women’s fashion, home-wares, and furniture. The press liked us even more so for the fact that we sourced ethically and were environmentally conscious right from the start in 2005. Product from Brazil made by women’s co-ops to avoid the downward spiral of prostitution, re-designed everyday objects by British designers to avoid land-fill, a helping hand to new young fashion designers entering the market, these were just some of the things that led to us being labelled a green pioneer. Moreover, we had destroyed the hippy image of anything remotely eco-conscious because the store presented these ethical and eco products in what was described as a “curation of ideas.” The thing was when I presented the Potassium concept to various banks – none of whom supported the concept financially incidentally – or even to business advisors, family and friends the ethical/eco stance was never mentioned. For me this was a given. It was the standard unequivocally. What I had underestimated was that this was part of our USP that was part of our “elements for living.” It was the press that helped me see this.

In 2011 black is now a shade of green. Everyone and everything considers the environmental impact whether through legislation, corporate responsibility or just out-right marketing ploys to make the company and consumer feel better. Better late then never I suppose. I continue in the meantime to stand by the original ethically sourced and wherever possible eco-friendly mantra. This developed in 2009 to sourcing locally made goods with a season of new “Made In Britain” collections to add to our already locally sourced ones. I am pleased that only this week the Arcadia Group has announced a drive to do the same, perhaps Marks & Spencer will follow and revive the ubiquitous St Michael brand?

So what really happened these last five months I hear you ask? In 2010 I had to make a decision about the store location. Our lease was due to expire in November and I remembered that before starting the company I had agreed with myself to give it five years and see what happens. Having learnt that our locality was about to become a building site (again) I decided not to renew the lease and to take the company forward solely on-line. After all that would eradicate rent and spiralling business rates – Potassium’s Business rates had escalated by 93% which let’s not fool ourselves are another form of taxes collected by Her Majesty’s Government. Fate dealt me a blow and on 22nd October at 15:30 our then landlords decided that they would not grant me a six week extension to Christmas and so we went into closing down mode and on 30th October had planned our “Bring and Bye Buy Sale”

Fate decided to strike again. In 2005 when I returned from Toronto unable to move in to my home because of sitting tenants, my sister and her husband allowed me to stay at their home. My brother-in-law, Hanif, had started his own business some years earlier and I witnessed the stresses and strains, joys tears and laughter he endured from running his own company. Hanif’s vision was simple: outstanding customer service could only be delivered from an engaged and happy team. He never actually said that verbatim, but it is what I gleaned from our conversations. He encouraged me to try running my own business and both he and his company Saffron Interactive (www.saffroninteractive.com) helped in those early days. Unexpectedly, Hanif died on 28th October aged 42, leaving my sister who was due to give birth in seven weeks time to twins.

Still in shock, in between funeral arrangements and trying to come to terms with Hanif’s absence, but with the support of many dear friends and fantastically loyal customers the Bring and Bye Buy Sale went ahead. Saturday 30th October 2010 was Potassium’s biggest trading day – thus far.

Strike three but not quite out. 9:30 Sunday 31st October 2010 I received a telephone call to say that my sister had gone in to labour. One lovingly crafted breakfast sausage sandwich later I was en-route to Chertsy and welcomed my two nieces Eve and Sophia at 12:20 that afternoon. Mother and babies were doing well but were confined to ICU as is customary with pre-terms. I’m happy to say that Eve and Sophia are doing fantastically well and regularly hang out with their uncle at work.

The next twenty-two days were spent packing up the store and painting it before handing back the unit to the landlords. Most would have left the shop without repair but as an ethical company I did not believe that would be the just thing to do, Ogre-some landlord or not.

As I moved the stock to a storage site I received a call. Would I like a pop-up shop for two months over the Christmas period? “Happy to consider it” I replied and I met with the agents within 48 hours. Before I knew it I had signed a licence agreement for two months at 29 Store Street off Tottenham Court Road. Vastly different in appearance from the old shop and in a neighbourhood I had left ten years earlier when I had moved to Canada the shop was to mark the start of part 2 in a way I had not foreseen. I got the keys on Friday 3rd December 2010 and again with the help of my fantastic friends and supporters of Potassium the doors opened to our new public on Tuesday 7th December at 11:00

At the end of January our licence expired but our new landlords who appreciate what we bring to the street have asked us to stay for another six months. I am delighted to. I am still cautious, the economy is not quite surging the way policy-makers would like us to believe, but for now part two is looking like it could be even better then part one.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the untenable support of family, friends both near and far, and of course our customers.

Without you all I could not have done it.

K+

In memory of Hanif Sazen. A man who inspired, encouraged, and was always good to share a couple of bottles of wine with.