Charlotte Khan , owner
BUSINESS
inside THE BUSINESS :
MOO LIKE A MONKEY
Charlotte Khan , owner
Tell us a little bit about your journey ?
I first opened a small shop on The Old High Street in Folkestone ’ s Creative Quarter in 2018 . I wanted to create a place for families to shop in a way that reflected their values ; a kids ’ shop that was different to what was on offer at the time . I thought it would be a great lifestyle business ; I ’ d sit in the shop with my kids and life would be simple . I was so wrong . I spent the first year parenting full-time while running the shop myself which was chaos . When the first lockdown was announced I thought it was time to pack it in and admit it had failed , but our Folkestone customers are incredibly loyal , and throughout the lockdowns and the tricky periods that followed , they supported and kept us afloat . We moved into a larger shop , with a website to reach national customers as well as locals , and are now open seven days a week . We ’ ve expanded into the shop basement , so our Folkestone shop covers two floors , and now we are opening in Canterbury – I can ’ t believe how far we ’ ve come in five years . Running the business has been more rewarding and enjoyable than I could have imagined .
What is Moo Like A Monkey ?
Moo Like A Monkey is a family lifestyle store driven by being the change we want to see in the world . We offer clothes , books and toys for all children as well as parenting books and décor . We are mindful of the importance of representation , diversity in the toys and books we surround children with , as well as being eco-conscious and reducing our impact on the planet . We promise you ’ ll always find something a little different from what you ’ d expect to find in
the mainstream children ’ s market . We have more than 200 suppliers and are always continuing to find more new products .
What drew you to Canterbury for your second location ?
We ’ ve wanted to expand for a while ; although we expanded our online shop , it ’ s the bricks and mortar part of the business that we find the most enjoyable to work on . Every time we visit a town or city we imagine how our shop might be received and the more time we spent in Canterbury , we felt it would be a great fit . When the opportunity came up to take on a beautiful Grade II listed shop in a gorgeous area full of indie shops and cafes , we were so excited and there was no going back .
What sets you apart from the rest ?
Our shop ' s ethos has remained the same since we opened in 2018 . We believe in celebrating individuality , diversity , and design , all while prioritising sustainability and ethical production . We take pride in sourcing our products from brands that share our values . We are mindful of the importance of representation and inclusivity in the toys and books children have access to and believe that children should be exposed to a wide range of interests and possibilities , so we take care to select items that reinforce this .
We know shopping with small children in tow can be stressful , so both of our shops have play areas where children can play while parents shop hassle free . Our team has a great knowledge of the products
we have in the shop and can offer advice and help people choose the perfect gift . In our Canterbury store , we plan to have a section dedicated to secondhand children ’ s clothing . The shop will also have its own bookshop within the store , where we ’ ll put on events , story readings and regular workshops .
What are you most proud of ?
I ’ m most proud of our sustainable ethos and that we have been resilient enough as a business to still be open after the last few years . We ’ ve grafted , reacted and gone above and beyond to stay open . The icing on the cake last year was being awarded runner up in the Independent Awards for Best UK High Street Shop ; being recognised nationally like that felt fantastic .
If you could give one piece of advice for expanding what would it be ?
The fear of failure stops us all doing so much in life , you need to figure out exactly what you ’ re afraid of first ; what ’ s stopping you , then you can reframe it . Nothing is a failure if you ’ ve given it a go . We decided that if everything went wrong tomorrow and we had to close down , we ’ re so proud of what we ’ ve achieved until now , so we couldn ’ t count that as a failure . We ’ ve done our research , so we ’ re going with our gut and hoping for the best .
moolikeamonkey . com
176