Ne'er Cast A Cloot 'til May Gans Oot!

Hello Ladies, welcome to May! 

Today's title is a wee bit of Scots for you. What does it mean? Well, you know what it means - it's the Scottish version of the English saying: Don't take your clothes off until the Hawthorn is in bloom! 

Now both the month of May and the "May tree" are close to my heart. May is the month of Chris & my wedding; May is the month of Therapy's birth! May is the month of my dear mum's birthday and Hawthorn one of her favourite blooms.

Since the arrival of our new doggy Bess, I find myself out on the Shimmings every morning at 6.30am. I don't mind the early start - rather that than being spotted by anyone I know in my pjs, no makeup and with my hair on end! I'm only half awake but I still manage to appreciate the beauty around me. As Bess is dragging me after rabbits I make sure that I can pause to enjoy the blossom and beautiful bouquet of the burgeoning Hawthorn trees. I love the smell of them - sweet almonds - like marzipan - heavenly! And the flowers so delicate and perfect...  

Yes it's our birthday - Therapy will be ten this month! A decade since we opened our doors - it's hard to believe isn't it? I tell you what really brings it home to me, it's the age of our customers' children. Once they were wee tots of 7 and 11, now they're driving cars and graduating from university - scary!

Therapy's tenth birthday celebrations will coincide with the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of the month. So I'm thinking we could have an evening soiree where we can all get tiddly, chat to our friends and stagger home. Or we could have a three day shopping extravaganza with double loyalty points (and fizz of course!) 

So instead of needing to spend £500 before you receive a £50 loyalty gift voucher, you'll only have to spend £250. That works out as 20% discount...but don't mention equation to Chris or he might change his mind! 

And if we open Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday then it will hopefully give all of you lovely, hard working ladies the chance to take benefit of our tenth birthday present to you. Lovely. 

Ah but that's a few weeks away. Why we've only just finished the last Bank Holiday. There are rumours that there's a heatwave on the way - hooray! You'll be needing to freshen up last year's summer wardrobe then? 

Well you all know where we are and Therapy's full of all sorts of yummy things, so come in and say hello - we always love to see you.

Laura x 

Easter Nonsense!

Happy Easter Ladies!!

Ooh I love Easter, it's like Christmas but with chickens instead of turkey, and better weather.

I attended Spriggs' spring flower demonstration in aid of Pancreatic Cancer Action last week. Ali, the inspirational lady who founded this charity, spoke with passion and eloquence of the real differences that they have made already. And I was eager to contribute to this good cause with the chance to win one of Matthew's fabulous displays. 

I didn't win anything but I did come away feeling humbled and inspired...and with ideas for some of Matthew's "Easter nonsense"! He'd talked about Easter & Spring being a time when optimism is high and we can enjoy ourselves and have a bit of fun with our creations. Well, that was all the encouragement I needed!

I know it's not elegant and it won't win any prizes for window dressing - but it did make me smile to be filling the window with mad Jellycat animals. Here at Therapy we're not about perfection & elegance at any price. We're about looking & feeling good while being comfortable & happy in our daily lives.

Over the Easter weekend Therapy will be open:

Good Friday: 10am - 3pm

Easter Saturday: 10am - 5.30pm

Easter Sunday: CLOSED

Easter Monday: 11am - 4pm

We'll be offering fizz, cake and edible Easter nonsense all weekend, so bring your families and friends and say hello.

Laura xx 

I Love Paris In The Springtime...

Ah, the blissful sunshine! What a joy it has been to feel the warmth of the Spring sun on our neglected limbs.

It was my birthday at the beginning of March and Chris, my darling hubby took me to Paris. Ooh la la! I love Paris and am lucky enough to have visited many times over the last few decades. This means that when we're there I feel no obligation to see the sights but can wallow in the luxury of our beautiful hotel and do some proper people watching.

Now my birthday always coincides with Paris Fashion Week. How lucky am I?! The hotel was filled with famous and fabulous fashionistas: Kate Moss, Anna Wintour (editor of American Vogue), Grace Coddington (she of the flaming red hair, 60s fashion icon & Vogue stalwart). Even Janet Jackson was there, complete with huge minder carrying tiny dog.

Oh the clothes, the shoes! I was in my element. I love fashion, I always have - making clothes on an old Singer sewing machine aged seven, designing collections for my dolls aged twelve, pouring over copies of French Marie Claire in my teens and reproducing the looks from my dad's old shirts and second hand jeans. Even as a student of sculpture I could be found, head to toe in clay and plaster, ingesting every scrap of my Vogue magazine.

Not surprising then that at the end of my studies I took my MA in fine art and went off to be a trainee buyer. There will be some of you out there who remember Jenners department store in Edinburgh's Princes Street. Sadly it's owned by House of Fraser now, but when I joined them in 1990 it was still family owned. Ah what a legendary emporium and eccentrically wonderful training ground it was. It was like a cross between The Paradise and Are You Being Served. 

It took me two years to become a buyer - and that was fast tracking - normally vacancies only came up if someone retired or died. I started in ladies coats then moved to ladies separates - nice! But spending a whole year in the famous Jenners Foodhall was both torture and heaven: I put my back out four times; gorged myself on so many belgian chocolates that I had hypnotherapy to try to stop; set up Valentine, Easter, Tourist and Christmas shops; saw The Chippendales with the most outrageous bunch of (nearly pensionable) sales ladies and learnt more about the art of shopkeeping than I'd ever imagined there was to know.

I thought I'd proved myself - passed all of my retail buying exams, attended every training course from negotiation to team building. But oh no, out I was sent to Jenners Depository where I was to process (in June) the entire stock for that year's Christmas shop. Argh!! Three and a half months I spent up to my eyes in tinsel, sharing my breaks with (the very lovely but somewhat scary) Sun reading warehouse staff, and begging our HR manager to give me a chance and get me out of there.

You know what they say about the squeaky wheel getting the oil? Well my relentless pestering worked. I was allowed to apply for the job of buyer/manager for the newly created Mens Fashion department - at last I'd got my wish. Now to give you an idea of the environment this department opened in, not so long before this there had been a board meeting to discuss whether denim should be sold in Jenners...in 1990? Just a little behind the times then!

Mm, they also say be careful what you wish for. From the moment I was offered the job my learning curve became so steep I swear I spent the next six years in a back bend. But oh how I adored my job! Fashion is fashion, it didn't matter to me if it were men's or women's - the fabrics, the colours, the line of a perfectly tailored suit - heaven. 

I bought Calvin Klein in New York, Ralph Lauren in Paris, DKNY in Milan, attended trade shows in Florence, had weeks of appointments in London. I spent six months of the year away from home and the rest of the time working twelve hour days. My marriage suffered, my son went without his mum. It was as glamorous as it sounds, and it was also at times tough, relentless, scary and lonely.

But I wasn't to be distracted from my passion for fashion. In 2000 I moved to London to work for Chris & his business partner in their wholesale fashion agency, selling menswear collections to the trade. After a year I was promoted to head of womenswear. It had been ten years since I'd worked with ladies fashions and I confess it was a huge shock to my system! Men are so easy to sell to and buy for: two arms, two legs, trousers or jeans, shirts or knits, a nice suit - job done. But not so us women!

I spent a year trying to persuade ladies fashion retailers to buy our collections, with the constant cries of "What do you have to co-ordinate with this? These trousers are not flattering. Where is my delivery? I can't sell this dress without a coat!" 

Ah but it was this job that led me to our beloved Petworth. Ten years ago, out on a road trip on my way to a customer in Chichester, I stopped off in Petworth and fell in love with the town, with the glorious countryside, with the friendly people and the gentle pace of life.

And so here I am after a decade of Therapy - still in love with fashion, still a shopkeeper to the core, still blissfully happy to make Petworth my home, and every day giving thanks to you - my lovely customers - who make this all possible. So this beautiful birthday bouquet I share with you all.
Thank you! Laura x

New Spring 2014 La Badia Pumps!!

Hello Ladies, our new La Badia pumps arrived about ten days ago but I've been saving them until I could mail you all - giving you all an equal chance to grab the ones you love in your size.

I have a wee explanation to give you first:

Buying shoes is not easy! There are so many sizes, so many feet, all of them different. Having studied several past seasons of La Badia orders to see which sizes had sold best I discovered that...there are no best-selling sizes! 

So this is what I have done:

All of the above styles I have bought in every size, from a European 35 - 42 and all the half sizes too (15 different sizes in total!) I only have 1 of each size apart from a 38 and 39 where I bought 2 pairs. 

(But - La Badia ran out of the salmon coloured suede (on the far left in the photo) so they only made me 1 pair of every whole size and 2 size 38s.)

Confused? You will be!

My idea is that each of you will have a choice of all of the new colours, plus a range of other colours in your size, to choose from. This way, no matter what size you are, we'll have something for you. But if you want a specific colour from our new range then you'll have to be quick!

I hope this makes sense to you all. Think of it as a library of La Badias!

Get in touch if there are any ones you love and want me to hold for you or send to you.

Laura x

Clearance Sale in the Leconfield Hall this Saturday!

Hello Ladies, 
You've probably received a flyer or seen the banner outside Natwest Bank. But in case you haven't - here it is!
We've had a good clear out and there will be all sorts of bargains from previous seasons, as well as what's left from this winter sale.
Chris, our dear friend Heidi and Chris's sister Bev will be in the hall. Ann & I will be in the shop leaving them to it!  
Have fun! Laura x

The Therapy Sale starts Saturday 1st February!!

Don't miss out on some great bargains!

Hello Ladies,

Following on from our first  "end of season" sale last August, we are about to launch our Winter Sale. 

Okay, so the British weather being what it is, it's probably not the end of the winter season...

All the more reason to grab yourselves some bargains - you'll certainly get your wear out of them.

January's been a slog, hasn't it? So much rain! I don't know why we're so surprised by the British weather. I seem to have been in a constant state of bewilderment, and yet regular sunshine would have been more of a shock.

At Therapy we've been hedging our bets with wooly jumpers and boots jostling on the floor with linen dresses and cropped jeans. I like to think of it as optimistic - I'm delighted when some lucky customer comes looking for suitable attire for an exotic trip to Goa or Bermuda...sigh...

Today started with a heavy mist, and now the sun has broken through and I've a delicious frisson of excitement in my belly. Spring is on its way. In the meantime I'll be wearing a mixture of winter warmers (layers of long sleeve tees, jeans & boots) topped off by some brand new Spring 14 tops and knits. How typically British - a combination of practicality and hope!

Thank you to all of you who have braved the downpours to visit us at Therapy. Whether you're buying or not it is always a pleasure to see you - especially during the driech and dreary month of January. Now February is on its way and I for one am feeling buoyant about 2014. Yay!

Love, Laura x

THANK YOU LOU!

Hello Ladies,

If you received my mailout then you will already know that Louise, our exemplary manager, has left our employ. But I don't get much room to write in my emails and I wanted to take the time and space to write a proper thank you to Lou for her extensive contribution over the last seven years.

When Lou first joined us we had three shops in Petworth - Therapy, Therapy For Feet and Kids Therapy. Phew, what were we thinking?! It was Lou's job to manage the day to day running of the shops and staff - no mean feat at that time. Despite being thrown in at the deep end, Lou set about streamlining and organising the company with enthusiasm and determination.

The years progressed, our shops went through various reincarnations and Chris, Lou and I became a tight knit team. Mind you, with Chris and Lou both being Scorpios there were a few  explosions along the way. But it's not easy to be part of a business run by a husband & wife team. Chris and I can shout all we like at each other, knowing that we're married and it will all be okay. I'm sure it was more of a minefield for Lou!

As our shops became better organised, Lou began to join me on buying trips. It was great for me to have her company and support when making such important decisions. Lou's knowledge of our customers and their needs ensured that we were sourcing the best products for Therapy. Over the years we became very adept at selecting ranges. We developed an efficient routine in showrooms which involved rummaging through the rails together muttering "too short", "they don't like elastic", "no use if you've got a big bust" etc. Most of the time we didn't even speak. We'd arrive at a particularly inappropriate item, Lou would look at it and pull a face, and I would dissolve into a fit of giggles. I feel sorry for the poor sales teams who had to stand back and watch us pick their collections apart!

Then of course there was the time that Chris and I planned to sell up and move to Montana...Once more Lou took our latest scheme in her stride and continued to respond efficiently to our requests for more changes within the company. But we decided to stay in our beloved Petworth (how could we think of leaving?!) and so the dynamics changed again, and here we were, full circle, back to our one original Golden Square shop.

The last three years with one shop and one manager have been a real luxury for me. With Lou  looking after the business so capably I was able to take some time out and explore sculpting again, as well as taking stock of my life and deciding that it was high time I committed myself full time to Therapy again. Yes, a double edged sword for Lou. Thanks to her hard work I'm ready to take back the running of our business and she is faced with starting over. 

That's scary...and exciting. I am sure that the skills and experience that Lou has gained in working so closely with Chris and I in Therapy have equipped her well for her next move. Hard working, creative, organised, loyal, intelligent, good at details and able to see the bigger picture - any small business like ours would do well to snap up Louise Saunders. 

It just leaves me to say a personal thank you to Lou. We've had some real adventures over the last seven years and a lot of laughs together, and I look forward to continuing our friendship into the future.

Love,
Laura x