Why did you set up Tiny Tots?

I set up the business after my third child was born, when I finally tired of not being able to get good quality baby items, competitively priced, locally. Tiny Tots is a traditional nursery store with everything you could need from pregnancy to birth, up until baby is two. Offering good ‘old fashioned' personal service, I have a lady who embellishes a range of socks by hand, while another knits shawls and makes bibs for me.

What products do you stock?

We stock boys and girls clothes, christening wear, shawls and quilts, Moses baskets and bedding, nursery furniture, re-usable nappies, changing bags and stations, prams and buggies, car seats and carriers. Looking around you will see all the major brands and others that are lesser known but also very good.

In our baby wear range you will find all the old traditional colours. Velour is a lovely baby fabric - I don't sell denim as my focus is not on fashion. I think a lot of the designs and fabrics used nowadays are impractical; people know to come to me for comfortable, pretty baby wear. When the supermarkets started selling clothes it did have some impact on us, but we do what they don't and that's how we compete. We also do a lot of premature baby wear and a very good christening range. We probably have around 30 christening gowns in at the moment and even more in the boys range. You will notice that some are reduced to make them more affordable. We also sell furniture to order, but as you can see, there just isn't enough room for it to be displayed here.

We have a full range of buggies, travel systems and prams from all the more established manufacturers and some of the more up and coming ones - the icandy range is a current bestseller.

You will also see we do a range of different car seats. My husband is a qualified car seat fitter. We like to take the time to fit a seat correctly and teach a customer how to do it before they leave. I think every car seat should be professionally fitted and no car seat should be bought second hand. Again, we have a lot more than on show - we've got two warehouses and a workshop - the business is a lot bigger than its shop front suggests.

I do all the buying and work in the shop six days a week. I love my job; I never get up in the morning not wanting to go to work. I think we are the only complete baby shop in the area, offering a full 0-2 complete range, together with car seat fitting, repairs and delivery.

We offer a fantastic gift range and vouchers and payment schemes are available. If someone buys a lot we will often do them a deal!

How has the industry changed in the last 30 years?

It's hard to remember what it was like years ago. There is so much choice now, perhaps too much. I wish manufacturers would stick to doing what they do best - too many have branched out to offer other things. The choice can be mind boggling!

We are doing well despite the country's financial position, as our manufacturers, distributors and customers trust us - we have been here a long time and have just signed a ten year lease so we have no plans to disappear! In January we had the best month we have had for years. February was fantastic too. But it's a tough business and you have to work hard at it. There are so few nursery retailers left in Kent. The problem now is that businesses can't get credit. There will be shops that go, but the ones that stay will come out stronger.

The lead time on stock has increased because of the economic climate, going back to what it was years ago, often 6-12 weeks. Distributors are not holding as much stock nowadays, as they can only get credit for an amount they are sure of selling. Also, a lot of products are manufactured in China, where you have to pay upfront and the exchange rate has made doing overseas business very expensive. Longer deliveries mean we have to re-educate our customers into understanding why they need to come and see us early on in pregnancy.

Perhaps the biggest change though is the Internet. Selling online through cheap sites has devalued many products and thankfully brands are waking up to this. We have a mail order service but I don't offer a catalogue, customers take a look at our website first (which is more like a shop window) and then give me a call. I sold bedding to customers in Cambridge and Rotherham the other day - I prefer to talk to people, it's important.

Describe your customer base and how you compete with the multiples.

You have to offer something different and appeal to all tastes and budgets to be successful. Once you have got people through the door they will more than likely come back. Some come in for a new pram/buggy, others just for baby grows, bibs, a pair of socks. People will always spend on their babies, but we wouldn't have survived if we did the same as the multiples. My customers range from those on a budget to the exclusively wealthy - I have a top cricketer coming in next week to collect his goods! I do my best to accommodate everyone. We are a family business and people know us. A woman came in the other day and recognising my Dad, said that he had sold her son's pushchair - he is 27 now!

How long does a customer typically spend in store?

It depends. Some people are in and out really quick. I'll leave them looking and assist when required. I would rather they spend a long time than rush, even if that means they come in three times and spend three hours on each visit. People do like to ask questions and the multiples can struggle to give the level of advice needed. New mums tend to bring family - it's often a bit of a family outing! I recommend meetings at 12, 20 and 26/28 weeks to ensure mum has everything she needs in time.

What about aftercare, what is your returns policy?

This is a very emotive business and we bend over backwards to accommodate our customers. We rarely fall out and are seen to be fair. If a pushchair needs mending, we will lend a customer one of ours in the meantime!

www.tiny-tots-ashford.co.uk

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