A little gift...
Louise and Paula Bellamy
How long have you had the shop?
Louise: Two years
Paula: We used to work here as staff until the end of 2016 when the owners said they were closing due to illness. We decided to buy the business which would guarantee our jobs and make sure Dartmouth didn’t lose a lovely gift shop.
How would you describe A Little Gift?
Paula: Quirky gift ideas for all.
What is your best seller?
Louise: Men go for the vintage football memorabilia. We have mugs for nearly every team. Women tend to veer towards the scarves, jumpers and handbags. We have a beautiful line of Vendula handbags; each one has a hand stitched shop front on. They range from £40 to £105 and only a handful of South West shops stock them.
Paula: Girls go straight for the unicorn or fairy range. Our tutu skirts with wings are very popular, as are the message fairies, which are lovely little figures with messages attached.
What is the weirdest thing anyone has asked for?
Paula: One man wanted a cover for a washing line!
Have either of you run a shop before?
Louise: No, it’s actually been a steep learning curve! We’ve always worked in retail – we both worked in Woolworths, then Plymco and were both at M&Co before we started here. We thought it would be easy to take over, but soon realised we didn’t have a clue! There’s a lot involved in running a small business - accounts, paperwork, making sure you buy the right stock.
Paula: We visit trade fairs in Birmingham and Exeter. We’re a good pairing as Louise goes for shiny twinkly items and wants a real mish mash, whereas I’m a bit more traditional and keep asking if the colours go together!
What trends are on their way?
Paula: Pandas! It’s been flamingoes, unicorns and llamas, but I think it will be all about pandas soon. More people seem to want individual one–off things so we try and get as many exclusive deals as possible so we can genuinely tell our customers they won’t get the item anywhere else. There’s also more interest in vegan friendly items.
Who does the window display?
Louise: That would be me! I learnt visual merchandising at M&Co and, as I like sparkly things, I try and make it as eye catching as possible to get people through the door.
What kind of customers do you get through the door?
Paula: Not that many locals I’m sad to say. We want more local people to come and see us!
Louise: We attract all ages and aren’t precious about children touching. Quite often the children are more gentle than the adults as they’re often mesmerized and handle the items with such care. They don’t always put them back in the right place but that’s our job. My 15-month-old daughter Scarlett is in here all the time so I have to be relaxed - she loves the bracelets. My 12-year-old son Toby is not so enamoured by the place, although he did a bit of work experience with us and has one of the vintage football mugs.
What have been the highs and lows so far?
Paula: Last winter was a real low point. The weather and the snow kept people away.
Louise: I enjoy meeting the customers and choosing exciting new stock.
Can you see yourselves here in five years time?
Paula: I hope so. We love the shop. I think Dartmouth will look very different then. I know a couple of shop leases which are up soon and the people are retiring. We’ll either see more empty premises or quite a different high street by then. I do worry about the loss of the police station, banks and hospital, I hope footfall remains high.
What is on your Christmas list?
Louise: One of our Vendula bags – I’d like the toyshop one. I keep dropping hints!
If you were an animal, which one and why:
Paula: A horse - I love their velvety noses.
Louise: If we’re allowed mythical beasts I would be a dragon as I can be scary and breathe fire when it’s needed!
What is on your bucket list?
Louise: A sky dive or bungee jump. The older I get the more I’m getting nervous about that kind of thing so I need to do it soon!
Paula: I’m scared of heights but I’ve always wanted to fly in a hot air balloon and visit the balloon festival in Bristol.
What will you be eating on Christmas Day?
Louise: Traditional turkey with the in-laws.
Paula: Beef wrapped in prosciutto, or duck.
Top Christmas game:
Louise: You can’t beat Twister.
First published in By The Dart magazine December 2018