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CELEBRATING 21 YEARS WITH A NEW STORE GRAND OPENING PARTY . YOU ' RE ALL INVITED .
Wirral Life talk to Jill and Mark Walker , founders of Indigo Home and Gift .
After living abroad for many years , Jill and Mark Walker put all their worldly experience into creating what has become the largest independent retailer of furniture and interiors on the Wirral - Indigo Home and Gift .
They ’ d lived in the USA and Bangladesh , but it was after five years in Dubai , when the UK was calling them home , that the seeds of an idea for Indigo Home and Gift were born . We caught up with the couple as they celebrate 21 years in business …
How did you get started ? We had no plans to open a shop and I hadn ’ t sold a thing in my life let alone furniture , when the time came for us to return home from Dubai in the late 1990s . We had been out there for five years as Mark worked in construction and it started by me choosing the furniture and accessories for the villas and apartments that we had . We had good friends who imported furniture from their factory in India and they had said – “ well Mark knows what he ’ s going to do , but what are you going to do when you return to the UK Jill ?” So , they suggested that they send me a container of furniture and try to sell it .
What happened when you returned to the UK ? We were persuaded by the idea and I placed an order for our first shipment . I did an 8-week business course with Business Link to help and received a £ 1500 business start-up grant .
It was just enough to pay for the signage for our first little shop in Moreton . Little did we know what we ’ d let ourselves in for ! It was beautiful Indian Jali furniture and unlike anything else that was on offer at the time . When it arrived , customers were buying as it was being unloaded ! We had to take orders for furniture yet to arrive from our friend ’ s factory as we literally sold out of everything . The month ' s passed and we were growing , and then one day I spotted a shop to let at Gordale Garden Centre and the rest is history - we ’ ve been there and in Bromborough ever since .
It hasn ’ t all been plain sailing though , has it ? Times were very difficult when the recession hit in 2008 - people just stopped buying overnight . It was like switching a tap off . Of course , people had to tighten their belts and buying a new sofa or dining table was put at the bottom of the list of priorities .
It was incredibly challenging and we had to tighten our belts . When the opportunity came up in 2011 , we invested and expanded into our Bromborough store . The business since then has gone from strength to strength and you wouldn ’ t even recognise it from the business we started .
Now Bromborough is where your big 21st birthday celebrations are taking place isn ’ t it ? Yes ! But not in our original store ! We signed the lease to new premises on Christmas Eve ( best present ever !) and we ’ re moving to two units next door to each other about five doors down from where we currently are , and work has been going on to transform it into one big Indigo Home and Gift , it ’ s three times the size ! All types of furniture are available – from bespoke sofas and dining to bedroom and giftware . We can ’ t wait to welcome our lovely customers back into the new store .
We ’ re also hoping to work in partnership with a local Wirral charity this year and would welcome charities getting in touch with us to find out more .
So , 2022 is looking like big year for you ? We thought we ’ d seize the chance to celebrate our opening and our 21st birthday in business at the same time ! The finishing touches are now being made , it ’ s all about putting the final pieces in place to get it ready .
We now employ 14 staff offering an incredibly high level of customer service and product knowledge – they are all amazing , and we couldn ’ t have achieved as much without them . Our eldest son Matt is going to be working within the business as well .
The most important aspect to the business for us is customer service , which is something that we ’ ve learned from living abroad . Service there is second to none and we feel that ethos is fundamental . We make sure that our staff are well trained in product knowledge and we offer a free ‘ at home ’ service for design advice .
The eagerly awaited new Indigo Home and Gift at the Croft Trade Park in Bromborough opens with a Launch Party at 6.00pm on 3rd March 2022 , all customers are welcome to join them .
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