I’m an independent retailer, publisher and founder based at More Than Just a Gift in Leicestershire. I have been a shopkeeper for over 30 years. I am founder of greeting card publisher Petimo as well as The Shopkeeper Journal.
Small Shop Summer
It's that time of year again. After a fantastic response last year, Small Shop Summer is back for 2026. What began as a simple idea has grown into something much bigger. Last summer, independent retailers around the country used the campaign to spark conversations, celebrate their businesses and
Small Shop Summer
When we launched Small Shop Summer last year, we didn't have a 2500 participants research report to back us up. We had an idea. An observation. And a growing suspicion that customers valued independent businesses far more than many retailers realised. The campaign was built on a simple
royal mail
Last week I was interviewed by the BBC about the impact of failing postal services on the greeting card industry. My contribution got bumped because an actual MP made an interesting comment about the situation, and frankly, I‘m well aware my opinion ranks way lower than his! But being
retas awards
I was genuinely shocked and incredibly honoured to discover that Smart Shopkeeper Club has been named a finalist in The Retas Awards 2026 for Best Retailer Initiative. What makes this especially meaningful to me is that Smart Shopkeeper Club didn’t begin as a polished plan or carefully mapped-out
Small Shop Summer
My archaeology degree occasionally proves useful in unexpected places. One of the simplest ways I’ve ever heard the difference between history and archaeology explained is this: History tells us what people say. Archaeology tells us what they do. History is the written record. Archaeology is the physical evidence left
Small Shop Summer
When I launched Small Shop Summer last year, I genuinely didn’t know what would happen. The idea seemed sound enough. I’d seen first-hand how powerful a good campaign could be during our award-winning Female Founders Month initiative. Customers had engaged with the message, embraced the stories
Smart Shopkeeper Club
Summer is a funny season for independent retailers. The spring occasions are behind us. Mother's Day, Easter and Father's Day have come and gone. Christmas still feels a very long way away. For many shops, summer can feel like a gap between the major retail moments
Small Shop Summer
One of the saddest things about modern life is that we are slowly losing the art of wandering. Not travelling with purpose. Not rushing around ticking errands off a list. Not searching online for a specific thing we already know we want. Wandering. The slow, slightly aimless experience of moving
greetings cards
“And I only came in for a card!” It’s one of the most common phrases we hear in our shop and honestly, we love hearing it. Because experienced shopkeepers know something many people outside retail don’t. Cards are very rarely just cards. The humble greeting card quietly does
Smart Shopkeeper Club
I was never good at maths. In fact, I'd go further than that. I hated it. I seemed to have an almost allergic reaction to maths lessons at school. The moment numbers appeared, my brain switched off. Nothing about them interested me whatsoever. I wanted to make things.
Smart Shopkeeper Club
I've noticed a trend on Instagram lately. Perhaps you have too. Independent retailers sharing the reality behind the scenes. The rent. The wages. The VAT. The utilities. The card machine fees. The website costs. The software subscriptions. The insurance. The music licence. The endless list of expenses that
High Streets
Famously, Britain was once described as “a nation of shopkeepers.” It’s one of those phrases that sounds slightly old-fashioned now, almost nostalgic. But I think there was something important inside it. Because Britain was not built on giant corporations or vast retail parks. It was built on market