Pauline Spiers co-founder of Catwalk

And s- it, I’ve wanted you in for ages. I’ve literally wanted you in for ages, but you’re a busy lady. You’ve always got stuff going on. So tell us all about Catwalk because you’ve been doing Catwalk for how many years?

Well, we’ve been there now 22 years. Wow. So opened in 2004. Amazing. So it’s been quite a while. Been, good. And you’ll have seen huge changes in that time. Massive changes. -huh. You know, when we first started off, we just did a little bit of wedding, a little bit casual. We never knew what direction we were kinda going.

Yeah. And you know, just like that need for something coming in, people looking for a wedding, we just built it and built up. -huh. So But you’ve got an incredible following now,? Aye, we have. We’re very lucky. We’ve got great customers. Yeah. Great customers, great staff. You know, it’s a great vibe in the shop all the time.

Yeah. I just love it, and I’ve never changed from the day I opened to the, today. I’m still as excited about it then and now. Yeah. Exactly the same. I think you’ve got to be passionate, though, about your business,? Because if you’re not, then there’s no point. No. There’s no point. You’ve got to have something to get you up out of bed in the morning.

And for me, it’s, it’s obviously the magazine. For you, it’s Catwalk. And you just do an incredible job. Like, you do your lives. Is, do you do them every day? Near enough every day- Do you? depending on how busy we are. I try and get one in. Sometimes it’s in the morning, sometimes it’s after we’ve shut and Louise and I and the staff’s all away and we’ll say. And I’m like, “Oh, it’s been a busy day.” She went, “Do you want to go a video?” Aye. And I’ll go, “Go on then.” But your, your collection’s beautiful. Aye. Like, and, and both, like, for mums and also in- Like your, your leisure wear. It’s I’ve already bought a couple of things- from you, but it’s stunning. It is. It’s- It’s so nice it’s good. And I think for us it is good because, I mean, although we’re predominantly known for wedding- people travel so far- Yes, yes for the wedding department. And it’s funny when they come in, so when they walk in the shop at first they’re walking along, it’s quite a long shop, then you open up to the wedding room.

Yeah. And as they’re walking towards the wedding room you can see them looking to the left, to the right- Yeah. and it’s like, “That’s a really nice top.” Yeah. And I’ll go, “Come on, let’s concentrate on the wedding first.” Yeah. And once you get your outfit, if you’re looking for something nice for after- it, then we’ll show you it.

But, I- so many of our customers have came in as wedding customers and came back to us and become really good, loyal, casual customers. So it’s good- Which is lovely aye. It’s so nice. And everybody knows everybody who Or, or everybody knows somebody that’s getting married, don’t they? So it’s like, so if they say they’ve had a great experience with Catwalk, they’re gonna tell like a gazillion people- I think so, aye to then come. Of course. Of course they do. Although we do advertise ourselves- and, you know, we do the Scottish Wedding Show and things like that. Yeah. Word of mouth definitely- Of course our main thing. Yeah. And our Google reviews. Yeah. We always ask people have you enjoyed your experience in Catwalk?

‘Cause we want feedback. Of course. It’s so important. You know, we want people to It’s an, a big day for them- and it’s a big When they come through the door they’re a wee bit nervous, and when they first get to know us and see how relaxed it is- it is. It’s like a good vibe. I was gonna touch on that with you about like moms coming in, because it’s a big thing for them, like getting an outfit ’cause it’s not like, you know, maybe going into Next and buying a jumper- Aye, no or a pair of derams- No, definitely not or something like that. It’s a big deal because either their son or their daughter’s getting married. So, like, talk us through, like, ’cause they are probably like, a, a deer in headlights most of the time. Aye, aye. And maybe not wanting to Or maybe a wee bit shy or- Maybe just overwhelmed maybe is a better word.

So how do you combat that? Well, I think sometimes they can be a wee bit anxious, especially if it’s their first time. Yeah. You know, if they’ve got a couple of weddings under their belt, they’re quite- Yeah. experienced in it. They know what they like. They know what they like. But if it’s their first time, and even when it was myself when my daughter got married, even although it was 13 years ago, you, you don’t know what’s gonna suit you.

Yeah. You don’t know what shape. You Women are always conscious of their body, whether a size- Totally eight. It doesn’t matter what. They’ve always got something that they’re like, “I want to hide this,” or It’s And, and once they get in and we sort of get their trust, you know what I mean? Yeah. And that’s the good thing about the social media as well for us.

Yeah. I think because I do do a lot of videos, f- the first thing they say when they come in is like, “I feel like I already know you.” Oh, that’s nice. And, and I think that’s a great thing. It totally is. They can just see that we’re normal working women. Absolutely. We just want the best for you. Yeah. We want you to look, we want you to go and look really, feel special, look great.

Yeah. and, and that’s the thing. And sometimes when you get them in and they’ll say, “Well, I’ve had a wee look at your website, and I’d like to try that and that.” Yeah. And we look at them and go, “Well, let’s bring them for you to start with.” And we get them in, and then, we maybe think, “Let’s bring a couple of wild cards.”

Because we look at their body shape and we think, “You know what? I think she’d look fabulous in this.” And what colours would suit. And what colour as well. Yeah. Sometimes they come with a palette and say, “Oh, it’s got to be this to go with the bridesmaids,” or whatever. And they will say, “Well, let’s go with this.

Because although it’s not exactly the same, it tones, but it suits your complexion.” Yeah. “Suits your hair colour.” Yeah. we just, you know, I just want to get them looking really great. And to be honest with you, once they put it on, Lesley, they know. And I was just- They know, exactly. I know about to say. So it’s like anything, like, it’s a bit like a bride going out for a, a wedding dress.

Absolutely. They, they probably kind of think, “I know exactly what I want to wear.” But then the company will say, “No, no, but let’s just put a few wee wild cards in there.” Aye. And then your chances are they’re going to pick one of those, because they just, they don’t know. So many times. So many times they go away with the one you least expect.

A lady was in just recently, and she said, “I came in saying I want something simple, no hat, something I can wear again.” Oh. And she’s saying, “Look at me. I’m going out with the fanciest dress and the biggest hat.” And she’s this little tiny wee thing. But as soon as she put it on, she felt like, “I feel like a mother of the bride.”

I think that’s such a- special experience, though. To turn somebody around from coming in, being maybe quite sheepish- to, to walking out thinking, “I feel like a million dollars.” Absolutely. We get that- And- so many times on the feedback- How nice back. They say, “I feel like a million dollars. On the day, everybody came up to me.

I’ve never had so many people say, ‘You look amazing.'” Aw. Another thing I like, quite like to hear as well is sometimes they’ll say, “I never thought you would’ve wore that.” I think that’s good as well, you know? Absolutely. Aye. Because they’re just getting out their comfort zone a wee bit. And that’s- And once they get into it, their confidence builds.

Yeah. And it just, you see that smile on their face, and you just know the body language. When the curtain opens up and they walk out and they’re not touching anything and they’re just- so relaxed. Aw. And they’re saying to their friends, “What do you think?” And they’re all going, “Oh, it’s great.” And give them a wee clap, blah, blah, blah.

Yeah, that’s nice. Like a wee clap when they come in. Yeah, I know, I know, I know. Aye. Have you ever had anybody go, “Oh, no, I really don’t like that on. You get it off”? Oh, yes. I’ve been in the fitting room with somebody who went, “You’re not even coming out in that. Let’s get it off.” You know? Like, “But are you sure?”

And I’m like, “Hmm, maybe let’s, let’s try something different.” Yeah. But, and sometimes their friends are picking things as well, and sometimes there’s things they like more than what- 100% the lady like. Yeah. And, and they’ve gone, “I would really like you to try that.” And you’re like going, “Well, okay, let’s try it.”

We never say no. Yeah. You know, if they want to try it, we’ll put it on them, absolutely. But, so first we’ve got to get the right path, you know what I mean? Yeah. It’s a bit like where you going, once we get them on the right road. And, and it’s their decision at the end of the day. Of course. And it’s, and I always think as well- You know when you shop for yourself normally, you’re going, “I’m gonna get a new jacket.”

Yeah. “I’m gonna get a new that.” Yeah. And it’s just to suit you. Of course. But this time you’re buying something to suit the bride, to suit the venue, to suit where it is. It’s a destination wedding or it’s something that you’re, you know, you The bridesmaids are, like, lilac or they’re lemon. Yeah. So they want you in a certain colour.

Yeah. Whether you suit it or no. Yeah. So we’ve got to sort of get you into- Yeah, and find all these things. Yeah. So you’ve got to tick all the boxes. Yeah. And that’s quite a challenge though. It can be quite challenging. Yeah. And it can be s- Some people are so up for it. -huh. And some people you really got to sort of win them round a wee bit, you know?

Aye. But, aye, it’s, it is, it’s, it’s a great job. And I wouldn’t want to do anything else- to be honest. I’m assuming that every day’s totally different for you. So although you’re doing the same thing- I, I think people always add a different level to it. So although, you know, you’ve got these incredible outfits, it’s different people coming in.

So y- it’s like a different day every day. Every day is different. Yeah. And as well, and another thing as well I think as well, when people come in the shop, everything’s hanging on hangers- -huh and they’re all flat- in bags. Yeah. And you know, somebody that’s hard to imagine a body in them. Yeah. You know what I mean?

So sometimes they’re just like, they’re going, “Oh no, that’s not me. That’s not me.” And I’ll say like, “Come on, let’s just try one thing and let’s get started.” Absolutely. And once you get them in and they- get into something, they go, “God, it’s much nicer than I thought it was going to be.” Yeah. You know what I mean?

And that’s the good thing about the social media as well, because you’ve got a website. Your website’s really good. Yeah. Because it gives like a mir- it gives them a, like a book of the shop. Yeah. So they go in and they look through it and they’ll see like, “Oh, I quite like that and I like that.” And we’ll say to them, “Take little screenshots of what you fancy.

And when you come in for your appointment, at least it gives us an idea of the style you’re- 100% looking for.” Because it’s a, a so many outfits. I know. There’s so many different styles. Yeah. You know, and it’s trying to get something Because everybody’s got their own way and their own style. Yeah.

And it’s just getting them into something that they, they love and they’re comfortable in. Yeah. And- And that’s, that’s the important part though, I think, is that you’ve got to be comfortable in, in it, haven’t you? Really, you have got to be comfortable. Yeah. It’s a, a long day. They’re up so early in the morning- I know getting their makeup done. Yeah. They’ve got their outfit on for sometimes it’s 7:00 in the morning right through to 1:00 in the morning. I know. So, and you got comfy shoes- And dancing in it but still glam shoes. And dance, yeah. And dance in it. And eat in it. And look glamour. And And drink in it. Absol- dri- absolutely.

Get the wine arm up. Absolutely. Yeah, no, totally. But you’ve got loads of designers, at Catwalk. So talk us through, like, who you’ve got, because I think you’ve got Venni, haven’t you? Yeah. And that’s like one of my- Venni and Fantino. Yeah. They’re just incredible. They’re just so many people- Love it

come to the shop for Venni. Yeah. And the other thing about Venni and Fantino as well i- is that, and not just is it a great brand and the, the outfits are absolutely beautiful, but Venni theirself- She’s, she’s, she’s so approachable Oh so lovely. She’s so invested in her business. Nice And every time you go to the show, when you do the buying, she’s there.

She- Down in Harrogate, isn’t it? it was in Harrogate, but now London Oh London for the- The Venice, Venice show. Aye, Venice show. They show in usually a lovely venue, which is always great. It’s always the Waldorf or somewhere nice. Oh, lovely. And Louise and I can go with all our, our buyers, you know.

Yeah. And so many of them we became friends with. That’s so nice. So it’s such a very sociable job as well. Yeah, yeah. And have a little drinks party afterwards- and we mix with the girls from Ireland- and friends from up north and things like that. So we really have a really good time when we’re away.

And, but you know, we feed off each other as well. Yeah. How’s things going with you? What are you seeing? Yeah. So it is, it is good. Yeah. It’s like women helping women. And that’s what it’s all about though. Right. And Veni, Veni is so like that as well. Yeah. She’ll come round and she’ll ask you, “W- what, what you looking for?”

“What are customers asking for? They asking for a bit more sleeve, or they asking for a bit more coverage?” Yeah. “What color?” Yeah. Really interested. Yeah. And then Louise and I are sometimes asked to go down and see the pre-collection. Oh, nice. So that gives a wee idea as well. Yeah. so I have really great company I work with, great product, and very on the ball with what’s happening fashion-wise.

And women are young, long. Yeah. You know, they are. I know, 100%. Aye. 100%. But I think if you’ve got that relationship, I didn’t realize it, it went into that much depth- Oh, absolutely so that’s so interesting. She sits through every- every catwalk show that comes out. Yeah. Veni, she tweaks it. Yeah. She even changes models sometimes.

Wow. it’s a really interesting trade to be in. Yeah. And then, then they bring out the matching hats, and even this season they were, they were introducing shoes and bags. Nice. So they’re always moving forward- that’s what you, we want. That’s exciting- ’cause you want everything to match, don’t you?

Absolutely. Yeah. It’s all about the matchy-matchy. We like the matchy-matchy. We love the matchy-matchy. Aye, I like the matchy-matchy. So what other designers have you got? Well, Veni is definitely sought after. Yeah. The next one, obviously on par, we sell equal amount- is John Charles London. Yeah.

Amazing brand for us. A different vibe from Veni. Yeah. But, a lot of block colour, beautiful fabric. The corsetry inside John Charles is exquisite. Inside they’ve got built-in bra. Yeah. They’ve got the clip at the back. Even when I was dressing someone yesterday, she says, “Oh my goodness, that makes me feel so secure.”

Yeah. No go anywhere. Absolutely. It’ll no go anywhere. Yeah, yeah. Sits nice up on the neck. Yeah. It’s not gonna be falling down. Yeah, absolutely. the materials are beautiful, the beadwork’s beautiful. And just very youthful. Yeah. I like it. I like the simplicity of it. it’s got a wee bit that Victoria Beck- you know, sort of that wee bit Victoria Beckham vibe.

Yeah. That wee bit less is more. Yeah. And they’ve transferred that into their sister brand- which has became massive for us this last few seasons. Maison Elle. Oh, nice. Up and coming. One to look out for. Yeah. Love it. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely love it. For ladies who are looking for a really special dress that they could wear to another event- this is a brand. Same fabric as John Charles, maybe less embellishment. Yeah. no much print. Yeah. Usually a block colour. But for the soft, for the almonds to the beiges, soft pinks, right through to the vibrant. Yeah. We’ve had great limes this season- Yeah, I love lime bright orange. Yeah. It’s been amazing.

Yeah, yeah. The collections have been fabulous. Yeah. It was John Charles that I came and, and bought from yourself years ago when Kathleen Anne got married. Aye, aye. Yeah, I loved it. It’s a great brand. Oh, I loved it. It really is a great brand. Yeah. And James, the owner, again, very invested in the company. when you’re going round to the see the issue in Woodland, you see them as well.

They also have the most beautiful place in Chelsea, lovely, like, townhouse. Oh, nice. They’ve got it all quartet gold. Oh, lovely. You get a wee pink champagne. Oh, it’s very nice. And, – Listen, there’s got to be some perks to this job. Definitely. Definitely. And then the girls come out modeling, and the girls, even the models at John Charles are so friendly.

Yeah. beautiful, but so approachable. Yeah. And sometimes I’ll say to them, “How does that feel? Comfortable?” And she’ll go, “Yeah, can lift my arms up.” Ah. I go, “That’s good.” Yeah. Or, “Does that feel” You know, really, really great, a great experience when you go down to see them. And they’re firm to the- designer for John Charles.

Young, on the ball. Again, very asking what the customers are asking for. Yeah, yeah. So I get- we, we get the key feedback for your customers, and we pass that on to them- That’s great, though- Ii- that they listen. Oh, absolutely. Like, that, that’s the whole thing. Like, ’cause you obviously- Because they want it to, they want it to sell.

Well, y- and you’re in the front lines. Of course. I- You’re in the front lines, so to give that feedback to them, that’s invaluable to them. definitely. That’s great. You want that- No, that’s great I think at the end of the day, if you’re producing a ca- a, a product that our customers are not looking for- Yeah

we’re not gonna sell it. And that’s, like, that’s all right. So we’re always for something special, you know, and something really nice. Yeah, no, absolutely. roughly how many dresses do you have, or outfits do you have? Hundreds. Off the top of my head? – Hundreds a good few hundreds anyway. Yeah.

Definitely hundreds. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But there’s peak times- -huh in, in season, of course. Yeah. and at the beginning of the season, each season, there’s two big drop-offs. Yeah. So the first one to come in is spring/summer. That is our main season. Yeah. January, February, March, April up to Easter, crazy busy- Yeah great vibe. Yeah. Shop’s packed all the time. Yeah. That is when- So your collection comes in in January? So we’re thinking hopefully mid-December. Oh, right. Okay, great. So a wee bit earlier. So you hit it January. That’s good. So when we open up after a couple of days off in January- it’s, everything’s- Full steam ahead ball rolling. Full steam ahead. Yeah. So that will start, they start arriving, John Charles van will start arriving then. Then the other brands will start coming the back of them. and- And that’s the shop is at peak time. Yeah. So all outfits that we order, say we ordered 100 styles. Yeah. And 100 styles we may have picked, you know, like take it from an eight to a 22- Yeah or whatever it is. Yeah. So you’ve only got one in each size. Yeah. Although there’s hundreds in stock- there’s only one in each size. Okay. And that’s the thing people sometimes get a wee bit misconception when they come in. They come in thinking, “I’ll try it. I’ll come back in four weeks. Could you order me another 14?”

And it’s gone. Unfortunately not. So you can’t order then again from the designer- No that same outfit? No. Right, okay. They only make what Louise and I order- Right six months prior. Right, okay. So we- So it’s not like bridal then? Absolutely not like bridal. No, no. It w- It would be great if it was, but it’s not like that.

I know, I know. Hey, just try your size and then order it in. Yeah. no, we go and we, Louise and I, see the full collection, and we write down our order. Yeah. And they only make what we order. Wow, okay. So if we took a dress, say, like 12 to 20, and they, we didn’t take a size 22 in it, for instance. Yeah. And if somebody came in and said, “Oh, I need the next size,” we cannot get it.

That’s a shame, okay. It’s g- They don’t hold any extra stock. Yeah, yeah, I understand. Yeah. It’s very difficult. Yeah, yeah. A very difficult thing because you canna have everything in every size. No, of course. So we take dresses that we think would suit a curvier figure. Yeah. And then we take things that may be a wee bit more coverage- Yeah Louise is a wee bit slimmer. So we just try and use our own judgment and years of experience. I was just about to say- 22 years of experience. Years of experience. Aye, definitely. And that’s exactly where that comes from. Aye. Yeah. So, and a lot of the, the staff actually that you have are, are family. Yeah, there’s, well, with myself and Louise, obviously.

Yeah. 22 years we’ve been together- running the shop. So Louise is your sister, for people that don’t know. Louise is my sister. Yeah, she’s lovely. Yeah. My young sister. Nine years younger. Yeah. We’re get- We’re morphing into each other, actually. We’re getting very alike. Ah. And, I, so Louise and I have been

Because w- my parents were, they worked in the hotel business, weren’t they? Yeah. We were in the wedding industry. We did that for 20 years prior. Is it your mum that owned the hotel? My mum and dad. Yeah. My mum and dad had a hotel business. Yeah, yeah. So we did that, and the whole family worked there. And, it was quite a big hotel, 46 bedrooms.

Wow. We had a lot of staff, and we did functions and weddings and funerals- Wow and dinners and restaurant. Yeah. We had two bars, and it was a big going concern. And then my mom and dad retired in 2003, and then Louise and I opened the shop in 2004. So we took our experience of working with the public.

Absolutely. And Louise was on reception. She dealt with all the bookings, the hotel side. Yeah, yeah. I was front of house. Yeah. You know, the bar, the restaurant. Yeah. And, we just took our people skills, I think, in a way. Yeah, 100%. We’ve always been easy with people. Yeah. We’ve always liked serving. Yeah. I certainly have.

People buy people. Oh, absolutely. People buy people. Definitely. Well, even my dad used to always say when we had the hotel, “A lot of people came from, they passed a lot of places to come to us.” Yeah. “They like the family vibe.” I was just about to say that. Aye. Yeah, ’cause there’s something really special about that, ’cause I’ve got a hospitality background- Right as well. That’s where I started in the wedding industry. But, – I think you’ve got to be a certain person- Right to always want to look out for other people because it’s called hospitality. Right. I, I’m, I’m a pleaser. I like to please people. 100% people pleaser. I am a people pleaser. Yeah. Yeah. I, whether it’s my family or whether it’s my staff-or whether it’s my customers. You know, even like if somebody comes in and they’re like, “Oh, I love the dress. I’m not sure about the hat.” I’m going, “Oh, come on, I’ll do something with that.” I just want them to be happy. I know. I know. You know, I want them to go away and look- The best And there’s something really special about that though.

I get a buzz out it. I know. An absolutely- I know a total buzz If you can make somebody, so somebody that’s obviously come in maybe being a wee bit nervous- or a wee bit overwhelmed, and then sort of almost skipping out of the shop- Aye, they’re like the best mums- But, – they believe they get kisses and everything.

That’s so nice though. Can I give you a kiss? Of course. Come in strangers and leave as friends. Absolutely. That’s nice. That truly is- That’s so, so nice lovely, yeah. That’s so nice. And then obviously they’ll get to see you obviously with e- your casual wear as well. Aye. and then hopefully be repeat customers- Right I’m quite sure. Definitely. What sort of price range do you have, in the store? Well, a mixture of everything. We do a brand called, Isabella- which is a great brand. It’s an Irish brand. And it really is for customers who are looking for a dress that they can wear again- to a function, or they can wear it again a cruise after the wedding.

It may be a mum on a wee bit of budget. I mean, we do not go in the The quality is exactly the same. Absolutely. The, we wouldn’t have picked it unless it was special. Yeah. but I mean, really nice dresses, nice chiffon ones that they could even be for a wedding abroad, ’cause that is very popular- Absolutely at the moment. Yeah, really. Nice colourful ones. We do lovely fascinators. And the price range to suit the dresses. So these dresses start at about 180. Oh, that’s good. So 180 up to about 400. That’s good. and then we’ve got our other brands like Veromia, which come in about the 300- to 450.

Yeah. And then you’ve got your John Charles, your Venni, your sort of top range- Lina Alfieli. Yeah. again, these could come in for sort of like between 5 and 700. Yeah. So there is a kind of- So that’s nice a big brand. So, so you’re, you’re literally looking after all budgets. Absolutely. And we do Joseph Ribkoff, which is a great brand-and you know it and I know it. Yeah. It’s a great Canadian brand. Yeah, yeah. And I mean, yesterday a lady got a fabulous jumpsuit. She was wanting something really nice for the wedding that she could wear again afterwards. Nice. She was not a dress person. Yeah. But she wanted something special, and she got that.

She looked the bee- she got the beautiful black and white hat. Yeah. So she, it was, it was lovely. I kinda love the jumpsuits though. Ah, they’re, oh they are really nice. I think the jumpsuits just offer a new level of chicness for, for mums as well. Like- ’cause again, like, maybe we wouldn’t have worn something like that like years and years ago.

No, you wouldn’t. But now, like- But things have definitely moved away- Oh, it’s great from the dress and jacket. It’s so good. I mean, my kids got married. It was a, it was a real ruched dress and a little up jacket. Yeah. And at the time, 10, 8 years ago, it was very glam and very in. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But things have changed.

Yeah, yeah. You know, things have changed. Yeah. And they’re starting to be a bit more, sort of paired back- but still very glamorous. Yeah. Aye. That’s what I love about mum’s outfits though. It is very glamorous. Like the, as you were talking about, like the materials, the patterns, the And it’s all about that, isn’t it?

It’s all about It just feels luxurious. It does. They feel really luxurious. And they’re very clever when it comes to prints. we’ll see them, much like a placement print. some people come and say, “Oh, I don’t want a print.” But see when they put the print on- and it’s placed beautifully- Yes just hides that little bit.

Yes. Gives you a little bit here. -huh. And, you know, they’re just, they’re clever. They’re clever at what they do, the designers of these outfits Yeah, yeah And they’re desi- they’re women designing for women- so they just know what, what’s right. Absolutely- ’cause we’ve all got bits, don’t we- Oh that we, we don’t like- 100% and we try and hide, like. And we’re own- we’re, we’re terrible critics, you know, aren’t we? We’re so hard on ourselves. Abso- I always say that to Ma- Marlene. I would say, “You never hear men talking like that.” You know, they never go- You don’t “What about my tummy?” You’re like, “Come on, you look fabulous.”

Never go on to me. I know. No, you’re absolutely right. but just talking about that, can I just say how fabulous you look today though? Oh. Like, you always look fabulous. I’m loving your new hairstyle. Oh, do you like it? Yeah The, – I absolutely love it. I think it really suits you. I think it frames your face beautifully.

You just, you just always look very- Aw nice and very well turned out. 62 than you’re 22. Are you 62? I’m 62. Well, you don’t look it. 62. Oh, well. You’re wearing it well. Some mornings I feel it. Well, you don’t look it. You don’t look it. so obviously you’re talking about, like, your team at Catwalk and they are fam- Aye well, some of them are family and stuff. Like, what sort of training goes into trying to impart, obviously, your experience of 22 years and beyond into them? Well, to be lucky, we are no turnover with staff. Yeah. We have never had a, lost a member from the minute they started. Oh, amazing. It’s been amazing.

Yeah. I mean, Lee that does a lot of modeling in the shop, you know the one with the short dark hair- Yes she’s been with me for 14, 15 years. Oh, nice. Although there’s four as family like myself and Louise, and both our daughters are in it. Nice. So my daughter Janine has been in the shop 13 years. She ran the Grangemouth shop prior to- Amazing, yeah coming into Catwalk. Yeah. And, Louise’s daughter Eilidh. Yeah. So when Eilidh left, she was our Saturday girl from she was 14. Aw. And, so she’s 23 now, so she’s been there a while. Yeah, yeah. So a wee tiny, wee thing. Some people look at her and think she’s 11. She’s that wee, slim. Yes. But she’s the most screwed on girl you’ve ever met in your life.

So she does all the, – The tech stuff. Yeah. She has moved us into the next century. She’s been brilliant. That’s good. So we’ve got the e-commerce going in. She’s getting us on a add to basket for our casual. Yeah. Everything’s got all the barcodes on. It’s not, it used to be all the written in. Yeah. She’s moved all that on.

She works diligently in the office side. Yeah. Janine’s more like me, she’s more like a people person. -huh. She’s the one that gets all the cuddles. Yeah, yeah. She loves, she loves serving. Aw. and she’s great at displaying the shop as well. She definitely took that off of me. She’s good at displaying all the tops of the shop and moving the stock around, and- Wow she definitely, that’s definitely her thing. Yeah. A- and she’s great with the public. and Eilidh is definitely great behind the scenes. Yeah. But she won’t come out, and she does- bits and pieces. Yeah. But, she is, she’s great still. You need both though, don’t you? You need both. You, you need, you need both- And she, does the website

to make, make it work. Yeah. She keeps everything up to date. As soon as an outfit’s sold- she’s bang on it. Yeah. It’s on, it’s up to date 24/7. Amazing. And, she’s been good. And this season, for the first time, we took both girls with us to the buying appointment- Oh, that would’ve been nice for them so we, we took them where- That was special the four of us went. And you know what? It was great getting their input. Absolutely. It was. It was great- get, see it from another perspective. And Eilidh, who’s all about the computer, is all about the numbers- Yeah, you know, she’s like, “Well, we sell more of this size, and we sell less of that, and this shape.”

‘Cause she could just, press of a button- and she can tell us what we’re selling, what’s, people are looking for. Absolutely. And, and that. And, so I gave them a little budget and went, “Youse go and order the hats.” Oh, that’s so nice. “Or go and youse order a bit of casual.” Yeah. “Pick up a new brand.”

That’s nice. So that’s what they done, and it was quite exciting. Did they love it? So absolutely loved it. Loved it. Were they been like in their element? That’s it. That, that’s- I’ll need to get them every time with me now. Well, that’s it. You can’t take them once and then go, “No, you’re not coming next time to Blackpool,” and it’s already in the calendar.

No, no. No, we loved having them actually. It was great. Yeah. It really was good. And it’s good, it keeps them close as well for the next generation, you know, moving and- And it gives them a better understanding of the business- So much so it’s not that they’re just seeing all the outfits coming in- the process behind what goes into that.

Aye. And it’s not all about drinking champagne, but- No. Absolutely not. It’s part of it. My Dee didn’t even drink. She, she, sure she’s mine. So, no, they, it was good for them. I think they seen, I think they’ve seen as well how hard Louise and I work. Absolutely. You know, although it is social, it is hard work.

Of course. Because you’re, you’re spending a lot of money. Absolutely. You’re investing a lot into- different brands- big numbers, you know? Yeah, yeah. And you’ve got to get it as right, and you never get it right all the time- No but you have to try. And as the years go on, you get it better. Of course.

Of course. You know, just with experience. It’s a learning process, isn’t it? Absolutely. Yeah. Every day’s a school day. Every day, every day’s a school day. Absolutely. Every day’s a Even, even for me, I’m 53, like, and still learning stuff. I’m quite sure I’ll still learn stuff- when I’m on my death bed.

First of all, I would say to them, like come in with an open mind. Yeah. Definitely come in with an open mind. It’s, it’s not scary. You know, come in, just be up for it. Yeah. Just be up for it. Enjoy it. Yeah. How many children have you got? How many times are you going to be mother, bride, or groom? Yeah.

Sometimes it’s only once. Yeah. Sometimes it’s five times. Yeah. You know, it just depends. Yeah. So come in, do a wee bit of research, have a look at our website. Yeah. have a look at the website and get ideas. Yeah. You know, just say, “Oh, I quite like that. I could see myself in that.” And, so you come in with a wee bit of knowledge before you come.

Follow our socials. Get a keep- see us, get to know us. Yeah. Get to see the shop. Yeah. and I think that breaks the barrier coming in the front door. Of course it does. Yeah. ‘Cause once they come in and they meet us- I mean, the girls that work for me, all of them have been with me for years and years.

They are like I mean, you say it’s family- like my sister and that, but they are family. Of course. I mean, I see the girls at work more than I see Craig. I know. I’m with them every day of the week. I know. Poor Craig. You know, like I see them all the time. Yeah, yeah. And, you know, invested in their lives as well.

Yeah. We know what’s happening. Yeah. Some- one of our girls is gonna become a granny soon. Aw. One of them’s, getting married. So we’ve got that feeling- in the shop. Yeah. We are a right close, tight team. Yeah. Family doesn’t have to be blood. Absolutely not. Nah. Yeah. They’re definitely not. Yeah, yeah.

And, we do, we look out for each other, we help each other. And when the customers come in the shop, we, I, I sort of take a wee bit step back. The girls are all serving. But, and I’ll just keep an eye on what they’re all doing, and I’ll just turn and say, “What about the, what about the blue?” Aye. “Let me go and get it.”

And I’ll pull it out and they’ll say- and, you know, they, and I’ll hand it. And, and the girls are always laughing. They’ll say, “I showed that to her, but she wasn’t very sure. But you bring it, and they’re wanting to try it.” You know? It’s ’cause you’re the queen. ‘Cause you’re the boss. You’re the queen.

You’re the queen. But people do. They- they’ll see you on social media, they will, and they’ll trust what you’re saying. Aye. Like, you know, you, you trust, like this s- ’cause you go into detail. It’s not just, you know, we’ve got this and we’ve got that and da-da-da. You go into detail- like this will suit this kind of body- Aye and this is great for hiding X, Y, and Z if you’re maybe a wee bit conscious of your arms or- Absolutely maybe if you’re bigger-breasted or- you know, like, you’ve maybe got a wee tummy. Tummy. Absolutely, yeah. Yeah. And, and people People cherish that- because they go, “All right, okay, so she’s, she’s actually talking about me here.

She’s, she’s potentially talking about me, so that, that would be a great outfit for me.” Aye. So that’s, that’s I think that’s really important, what you do. Well, every customer’s an individual, aye. Yeah. And everybody’s d- and, and sometimes the outside doesn’t portray the inside. 100%. You can get one where you walk in, you go, “Oh my God, she’s gorgeous.

She’s like a model.” Yeah. They can be so nervous. I know. It’s the oddest, isn’t it? You know, they can. It’s the oddest thing. Yeah. You just don’t know inside, outside. I know. And it’s just once you get in and once you get in the fitting room with them- and you start talking to them and- getting a wee blether, and where’s your wedding, and is it your son, is it your daughter?

And the, sometimes the things they tell you in that fitting room, you become like their best pal- I know by the time you leave. I know. And, you know, and I’m very open, very open. I share my own experiences- Same. Yeah, as well. So I’ll say, “Oh, that’s amazing,” or, “Let’s get this,” and, “Oh, I tried that, and I was a bit conscious.

I like a wee bit of sleeve.” And- so, you know, we’ve, we’ve all got our insecurities. We totally have. Aye. We totally But as you said, men don’t. I know they don’t. so on here we kinda do, like, a sort of fi- quick fire questions. -huh. Are you all right if we do that? Of course. Aye, of course. what makes you happy?

I would say the thing that makes me happy the most actually is my family. Yeah. Spending time. I think ’cause I work so long hours- work hard. See, like a Tuesday night, I get my kids for dinner on a Tuesday. Yeah. I love that. Just round the table. Plus, and they love it as well. Like you and me be like, “Oh, I’m going to my mum’s for dinner tonight.”

I know. She always puts on a feast. Every Tuesday. She always puts on a feast. Well, saying that Craig does the cooking. I just turn up. I just turn up. I just turn up after work. Oh. I love having them in for dinner, you know, and just having a right wee chat- what their week’s been happening. Yeah.

Grace and my wee grandson- what he’s been up to at school. Yeah, yeah. He’s joined the Boys Brigade. He’s all Boys Brigade at the minute. Oh, bless. So again, what’s happening there. And just finding out what’s happening with them. I love going on holiday with them. Yeah. I love getting away from the shop and spend, even if it’s just a wee weekend away- Absolutely or a holiday. Yeah. And I’ve still got my parents as well. My parents are great. Oh, wow. So I mean, they just live around the corner from me. Nice. I pop in there 45 times a week as well. Yeah. see they’re all right. So you’ve got a busy life. Aye, a busy life, but spending time with the family- going holiday with my sister.

We’re gonna be cruising a few weeks. We’re going for- Nice just for five nights. But, – You work hard and you play hard. I do. We do. Yeah. We absolutely do. You’ve got to work hard and play hard. You’ve got to have a bit of balance. Yeah, 100%. You’ve got to have a, a work and life balance- I think. Yeah, 100%.

All work make you a bit boring if we didn’t have a bit of life. 100%. But especially when you’ve, when you’ve built up such a incredible team- you know that when you’re not there- No qualms it’s still just gonna run like clockwork. It does. It doesn’t matter. What one of my girls you get- Amazing they’ll treat you like you’re the first person they’ve ever served.

Absolutely. And they really go the extra mile. Yeah. And they really want to help you. Yeah. You know what I mean? They’re no sales-driven or anything like that. Yeah. They just really want the customer to be h- be happy and- -huh look after them the best. And it shouldn’t be sales-driven. It should be- Oh, absolutely not about everything else. That’s a- That’s- That, that should be like the final two minutes, like, you know- talking. We’re the opposite. We’ll say- “You know what? If you’re not 100% sure, go for a coffee.” Absolutely. Go get, get your break- Yeah, and come back. It’ll come back in if it’s for you or meant to be.

Yeah. Yeah. And sometimes they get to the door and they come back, “No, I can’t. I’ll leave it.” It’s like, “Well, it’ Or upset? Upset, well, not at work. I’m never really I’m a very even keel person. Yeah, yeah. You know me, the way I’m like. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There’s no really highs and lows with me. I’m kinda the same all the time- Yeah to be honest with you. Yeah. It’s best at work. Yeah. If something happens and something happens at work, I deal with it. Yeah. I’m always head on. Yeah. I like to be, I’ll fix it. I’ll sort it. Yeah. I’ll say, “All right, you’re our number one priority.” Yeah. So that kinda thing doesn’t upset. Obviously if some- when the family was unwell.

Yeah. Or, you know, if, if And I lost a friend a few years ago. Things like that obviously upset you. Yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. But on the whole, I would say not really much, to be honest with you, Lesley. You’re just, yeah, you’re just a happy person. I’m just trying my best. You’re just a happy person.

I know. Get up in the morning and do my best. I know. I was just about to say, like I, I wake up in the morning and I’m that annoying friend or person- who’s always like, “Morning!” And Ted goes, “Oh, Lesley, can you just dial it down today-” ” like please?” And I’m like, “Nope.” what’s your favourite colour? Oh, definitely black.

Yeah, same. Same. Bla- black with an accent of beige- Yeah, or silver. Yeah. Or a wee colour. Yeah. But predominantly. Yeah, yeah. And my clothes, definitely black. Yeah. I’m with you. I’m with you. and we’ve actually probably got very similar colours. Very similar colours. A black base with a wee bit of colour.

Absolutely, 100%. Cats or dogs? although the shop’s called Catwalk, we’re definitely a dog family. You’re doggies. A doggy family. Doggies. And Euan’s got two lovely, Euan and Donnie, they’ve got two dogs. Is it Cocker Spaniels they’ve got? No, but one’s Cocker Spaniel, and Beau, we’ve had Beau for 12, 13 years.

Yeah. He’s a Labrador. Oh. And wee Penny. Yeah. She’s just about two. She’s a wee, a wee Spaniel. She’s a bit crazy, but she’s beautiful. That’s what Spaniels are known for. Ah. They’re lovely. Yeah, they’re a bit crazy. favourite time of year? At work, I would say the definite time of year is the sort of January, February, March.

Yeah. Shops buzzing. Yeah. All the new stock’s coming in. Yeah. I love the, that excitement- The vibe in the shop. The girls love it. Yeah. And it’s so busy- we’re nearly booked up every day. I love that time at work. for me, personally, probably, like, at the end of the summer- when things have kinda calmed down and- Yeah Craig and I gets a holiday- and we can just sort of take our foot off the pedal- Absolutely a wee bit. Spend a bit more time with family. I definitely And for clothes as well, I’m an autumn clothes person. Yeah, yeah. I like boots. I like- Same knitwear. Yeah. I like coats and jumpers. Yeah. I think- Cozees.

Cozees. Yeah, yeah. I, I like it when it’s getting a wee bit You know at night when it’s getting a wee bit darker- early. I like that. Get the candles on. Oh, definitely. I love that. Yeah, get the fire on. Get the wine on. Yeah, get the wine. It’s 5:00 somewhere. Absolutely, absolutely. what other advice would you give to, to moms coming into Catwalk in terms of, like ‘Cause you were saying obviously, like, they could be overwhelmed or, you know, and you’re maybe saying to them, like, “Go away, have a cup of tea,” or- whatever, like ‘Cause you- do have years and years of experience. And I think, like, that bodes well. Like, if somebody is coming in, like, you would know instantly, wouldn’t you?

Like, just- Aye, you know by their body language- 100%. Yeah, yeah. You just, like, they come in, and some people are just so up for everything. -huh. And some people are very shy and a wee bit self-conscious, you know? But I just think to myself, just to trust us, really. -huh. Come in, put your trust in us.

We only want you to be the best. We wouldn’t put you in anything- Absolutely that we didnae love you in. and it’s not a hard sell, as you rightly said. Oh, absolutely not a hard sell. It’s a lot- Not at all come in, have a chat with us, and walk out with a beautiful outfit- and feeling like a million dollars.

Well, a lot of people come back to us, and funny, it was another day, actually. She said the exact same thing. She said, “I’ve had my three outfits for here. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.” Absolutely. She said, “I just trust you. I feel my- I can relax in here.” Yeah. “I dinnae feel any pressure.” Yeah. “And even if I know if I try 100 things on and I didn’t find the one, it doesn’t matter.”

Yeah. I said, “No, you know we’re not like that.” Absolutely. “You know we just want you to be the best.” And that’s really important. It’s really important. Aye. So youse have done a great job. Like, 22 years, that’s, that’s quite something. Aye, it is. I think at, at five years, like, I’m like, “I’ve done five years.” Like, I’m so proud of that.

Like, but you’re 22. Like- It does fly, Lesley, because we were- It does I was just talking to somebody the other day. it was a lady that was in getting an outfit as well, and her sister used to be a dressmaker, our original dress- Really? supplier, way back, when we first opened the shop. And, I rem- well, I was talking to her sister and, and she was saying that the, the, the, Josie, her name was- -huh our dressmaker for years. She was just saying she wouldn’t have came to us. So please tell her I’m asking for her, and tell her I remember our fifth anniversary. Yeah. So just like you, I can remember so clearly- five years of being open, and we were like, “We’ve been open five years.” It’s true, I do.

And we hired a limo. Oh, did you? And we all went from our house I love it I gave them all a wee parcel- Aw with five years on it- Nice and a wee present inside Yeah, yeah I think there was maybe about six of us then. Nice me, Louise, and my daughter Janine- Josie, and, Fiona and Margaret and that.

They worked for me at the time. -huh. And, we went there, and we got the wee pres- We went away in the limo to Glasgow away to, – to, a, a, a restaurant and had, like, a singer. It was Barbara Brycelyn. So we went to see Barbara. And in the limo, and we’re feeling our way, we were saying, like, five years. But I can’t believe that’s 17 year ago.

Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. So your time flies then, so- Yeah, it really does every, every five years things are different. Yeah. And of course we’ve been through lockdown as well- I know when the, the wedding industry was practically non-existent. I know. But I think that’s when you started doing your videos though, right?

That’s when I started it. -huh. I didn’t think six years down the line I’d still be doing them. So innovative though to think, like- how else can we get the brand out there? ‘Cause everybody had all that money ’cause they couldn’t go on holiday. Like, so they weren’t spending money on holidays, they weren’t spending money on really clothing, ’cause they weren’t doing anything.

Weren’t doing anything. They were all in their back garden or maybe going out- Sitting for a wee walk or- That’s it. The back garden dinner or sitting drinking wine or Yeah. but yeah. And obviously you couldn’t get your friends over, so you weren’t really socializing either- No. It was hard so all that surplus money.

And then you obviously had this idea of like, “Let’s do videos because we can send it out. We can send it out through the post.” We send out the post. And in fact, the beginning when we first started, I can tell you exactly how it started. One of our customers, Audrey, who’s, well, I’ve known for years and years and years.

She lives around this corner from my sister. Yeah. And, she had phoned Louise up and said to him, “It was so hot when we first went to lockdown.” It was great, wasn’t it? It was roasting. And it was, the weather was great, and it was sort of like m- m- m- a, a May time. -huh. And, Louise had said, “Well, do you want me to come up your loft and get your crops down for you?”

You know what I mean? ‘Cause she was an older lady. Yeah, yeah. She went, “No, no, I’m just wondering if you had any in catwalk.” And Louise had said, “Well, obviously we order our things six and- nine months in advance.” We couldn’t stop our deliveries- so though we were shut- everything came in.

Absolutely. Wedding outfits- hats, shoes, bags. All our casual wear came in. Wow. We had to just take it and pay for it. Yeah, yeah. We had to take it and pay for it- Wow ’cause that’s just the way it works. Yeah. And you couldn’t let people down. But that could have ma- made or break a business. So many businesses closed- I know

during that time. It was such a shame. Very sad. Yeah. And we were lucky that we just had our wedding, but we could sort of park that slightly- and do our casual. Absolutely. So that’s how it started off. Louise had said, “Why don’t you” So me and Louise were in the shop getting the deliveries in. Yeah, yeah.

They had to be let them in. Yeah, yeah. So we’re in there getting them in, unpacking everything, trying to store things and, – Louise says, “Why don’t you show If I’ll film you, and I’ll show the couple of crop trousers and we’ll send it to Audrey.” That’s great. So Louise sent it to Audrey, and Louise went, “You know what?

We could do this on a bigger scale.” Absolutely. And I remember the first time I done it up the back of the shop, I was so nervous. And, we just did the, this is little crops that have came in. They’re £39. Yeah. This is the T-shirts that’s came in. And then all the f- just all you need to do is, we didn’t have an add to basket.

Yeah. Just send us a private message. Yeah. And the phone just went ding, ding, ding, ding. Ta-ta. That first time we put out, like, 45 parcels. I’m not surprised. And it wasn’t just posting. A lot of them were local ladies. -huh. They were lonely. Yeah, yeah. Some of them are on their own. They’ve never seen anybody.

Yeah. So Louise would go her way, you know, the Lairdbirk. Oh, nice. I would go the Grangemouth, Bo’ness way. Yeah, yeah. And they would drop the car, and we’d leave them at the end of the driveway. Deliver them. Oh, that’s cute. We would deliver them to them and just go- That’s so nice “Hi, how are you? You keeping all right?”

Aye. Just, just to- That’s nice ding in with them. Yeah. And, so it started from there. Yeah. And then was, then Louise and I were doing two a week. Yeah. Then three a week. Yeah. And then the girls were at home in furlough, and Louise, Louise and I were working harder than ever. I wasn’t furloughed either No I was raging.

Me and us two were in the shop every day, like working. I was like, “Slap a bit of makeup on and do a video.” But, and it started from there. And you know, we’ve picked up such amazing customers from all over the UK. I know. I mean, from Northampton, from Plymouth- from Bristol. Yeah. So far away. Northern Ireland.

Yeah. And we send parcels to them all the time. That is what’s- They became regular incredible about social media, isn’t it? Like, so social media’s a bit of a double-edged sword for me. Aye. So there’s a lot of, certainly for wedding couples and stuff like that looking for suppliers and stuff, like we’ve obviously got the magazine and we’ve got the website and all of our socials.

But I think more so than that, like, they’re using like platforms like your social media and stuff like that. It kinda scares me a wee bit because- there could be a lot of scammers on there. Aye. but also it’s such a powerful tool for things like what you’re doing. Aye. It is. It’s such a powerful tool.

It just gets your name out there. And to be honest- Of course it does as though you say we’ve been there 22 years, there’s people that live not too far from didn’t even know we exist. Yeah. So at, at, up till then, you know, and that- But you’ll not know you exist until they’re in that bubble In that, in that, in that- -huh

till they’re wanting to go for a wedding- dress or something. But I mean, people, some people say to me one time when we first started doing the videos, the girl’s like, “We didn’t know you did casual.” And I was like, “We did casual for tw- at that time 15 or 16 years.” -huh. “But people just thought, I just thought you only did wedding.”

Yeah. “I never knew you sell Naya and My Soul and- Absolutely all these fabulous brands.” -huh. And I said, “Yeah, we’ve got amazing casual wear.” -huh. And it’s good for the girls as well. Of course it is. Because although we do love doing the wedding- it breaks your week up, you know? Of course it does.

And there is highs and lows in the wedding industry. Yeah. You’ve got peak times- Absolutely and a wee bit quieter times. So that we can concentrate on our casual side. Yeah. And then when people come in for a wedding outfit, they buy some for the night before, as I say, or going away on a destination wedding, pick up a couple of sundresses- Absolutely nice pair of sandals. And then they come back to us as a normal customer. A regular Not normal, a regular customer. Yeah. Aye. Yeah. And do you do alterations in store? Well, we’ve got two alteration ladies that we use- Yes all the time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. two of them are local to us. Amazing. We’ve used them for years and years.

Yeah. Well, had, we did have an in-store one for a long time. Yeah. but she unfortunately, she g- gets, got to a certain age. Yeah. she was in her 70s. I think she did quite well to work as long as she did. Absolutely. And she retired and, but we knew these other two people that we had used when the, the other lady was on holiday.

Yeah. And, we’ve just sort of carried on. And that’s what’s been amazing. Yeah. We just give them a wee card. Yeah. They make an appointment. They go to their studio. Yeah. And I must admit, everybody’s been ca- come back to say what an amazing job they’ve done. Yeah, yeah. And, no, it’s been great. Yeah. I think you’ll still be working at 75.

Don’t tell Craig that. I’ll not tell him if you don’t. Don’t show him this podcast. He’s already retired- so he’ll be counting the time to when I’m gonna be joining him. I don’t think he will like me in the house all the time. I’d be too bothered. You’d give him a list of chores to do. He’d be like, “Oh, get back to work.”

Exactly. and what’s next for Catwalk? well, obviously we’re moving forward with the- you know, with the tech stuff. – Yes, which is exciting what’s coming up, we’ve got next week we’ve got a great, in-store event. We’ve got a great Manari event coming up next week. The next Again week. And at the end of that- What day is that?

Wednesday. Wednesday. Wednesday 3:00 to 6:00. Okay. So we, we’d only do it once a year. Yeah. This is our third one. Nice. It’s always really good. Manari is a big casual brand for us, German brand, brilliant following, and, it’s only their sort of premium stores that- do the in-house thing. Yeah. So we’re doing that.

We’re big stockists to that. well, that next Wednesday 3:00 to 6:00. We like to keep ourselves busy. Yeah. The same weekend- as we’re doing the Scottish Wedding Show. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we’re going to be there. I think it’s E60 or somewhere our stand is, right at, right at the curtains when you come through for the wedding.

Yes. We’ll be on the right-hand side. Yeah. When you come off the catwalk show, we’ll be there, set up on Friday, do our fittings with our lovely models. Yeah. And we’ll be there, I’ll be there all day Saturday, all day Sunday, pack up. So I’ve got loads of things coming up. And Eilidh’s working hard on getting her add to basket up and going.

That should be up in a couple- Amazing of weeks. So only for our casual- and also for our sale wedding outfits. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we don’t send out our new stuff- New stuff because obviously we need it for in store- Yeah, for people coming in, size it. And we’ve- We’re very careful where clothes- Yeah

but for, and for a wedding, for our sale, past season, outfits, great section at the minute. We’ve got a big, sale on at the minute. Yeah. so our mid-season sale, some fabulous outfits, John Charles, Venni, up to 50% off. Amazing. just past summer and past autumn there. Yeah. So some great buys. So they would be available to post, which can be returned- Absolutely if they’re not suitable for a refund. Yeah. So definitely, so I’m moving that side of things forward. Yeah. So you’re always, you’re always busy. The grass never- No grows under your feet. No, no. There’s always something to do. I always feel- There’s always something there’s always something to do, yeah.

That’s all really exciting. We’ll be at the, the Scottish Exhibition Centre as well. Yeah, we’ll see you there. the Scottish Wedding. So, so yeah, we will see you there. And great that you’re gonna be on the catwalk as well. Aye. So that’ll be throughout the weekend. Well, the, that’s, this week we had all the samples I’ve came up for next summer.

Amazing. So the summer collection, some beautiful Vennis. Wow. and my friend at Grytha and Snoxho, Graham Grytha, he sent me all the millinery up yesterday. Oh, lovely. So I was in the stockroom matching up all the lemons and the blues- and all the spring colors. Absolutely gorgeous. Nice. Some lovely ones as well.

We’ve changed as well. Looking like it’ll be a bit of quite a lot of black tie weddings still- Oh in the thing. So dresses with black and a bit of stone. Yeah. Yeah. so quite, quite sharp. So- Love that a big mixture of things- coming forward. That’s really exciting. That’s really exciting. And we’ll have a lot of them on the catwalk show, and w- we’ll have as many as we can on our stand as well.

Yeah, yeah. So. Amazing. And great incentive if you come and see us. We’ll give out little flyers, little discounts, so it’s definitely worth coming to visit us on the stand. Absolutely. Absolutely. It’s been an absolute pleasure having you, Pauline. Thank you, Lesley. It absolutely has. we will obviously follow you, but if there’s anybody who wants to ask questions to Pauline, you can either contact myself or Pauline direct, just to get some information either about catwalk or about the stock, or sizes, or just as a general- query. Oh, any time. We’ll- we answer 24/7. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we’ve always got the phone. If we get a message at any time, I even got it at 3:00 this morning and answered it. So, so- At 3:00 this morning. Must’ve came off a back shift or something. Heard the ping, and you know you’re trying to sleep, and I think, “No- Yeah

I must answer them.” Yeah, yeah, yeah. “Must answer them.” Good for you. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much, Pauline, for coming in. Oh, thanks for asking me. It’s been great. Anytime. It’s always great tak- talking to you, Lesley. Oh. But you are kind. Thank you so much. Thank you so much