Celebrating 21 Years Of Our Malton Store

It doesn't seem like twenty one years, but in the blink of an eye our Malton store is coming of age 21 years after we first opened the doors on Saturday 10th April 2004. 

Twenty one years ago, we opened the door of our first brick and mortar store in Malton. It wasn't without trepidation, in fact, I was fairly sure it would fail, after all there had been a fair amount of interest in what we were up to- a mixture of well wishers and those of a slightly more negative leaning. Negative enough to sow the seeds of doubt in my mind. Here is how it all began...

Our fledgling trade stand, Reeth show 2002

1. How It All Began

In 2004, it's not too dramatic to say that life was quite different. Ecommerce was in its infancy and the High street was enjoying something of a boom. Our small business had begun in 2001, the fateful year of foot & mouth and after securing an overdraft with which to purchase stock, my intended calendar of shows and events disappeared before my very eyes. I switched from trading at shows to trading from a market stall and became a regular fixture at Malton, Helmsley & York. The blissful ignorance of youth! I didn't realise at the time but this was teaching me valuable lessons in buying, merchandising and hard graft and after a couple of years I decided the next logical step would be a shop. 

Image 2: The original details for 11, Market Street, Malton; February 2004.

We looked at a newly refurbed shop in Easingwold- a town on the up, but that shop was a quarter of the size of an about to be vacated lighting shop on Market Street, Malton- a town not so on the up! I negotiated a 5 year lease with an emergency break clause and 1 month rent free to decorate.  It was during the decorating that the negative comments began to hit home:

Image 3: Early days photographing stock at home.

"I hope you haven't signed a long lease?" from one well meaning stranger and "Nothing lasts in Malton!" said another, there was barely a day passed without someone proffering their vision of doom. I took to counting the number of people walking to the sandwich shop across the road. Mild mannered Dan became quite exasperated at my gloominess (and probably quite alarmed!). I had loaned £8,000 from my nice bank manager (yes, these were the days when you actually had a bank manger!) We apportioned £500 for sign writing, painting the shop front, cladding the walls, Farrow & Ball Lime White paint & a new carpet.

We went on a buying trip to London and bought enough stock to fill the first room. In the second room a single antique Hungarian bench- this would sell within minutes of opening to a customer who with her husband carried it back to their home.

We worked around the clock, Dan coming straight from work, my little terrier sitting in the sunny window while I painted. I dressed the window with garden furniture a week before we opened and the comments began to change. "We can't wait to come in" offered more encouragement

Ten minutes after we opened, a couple came in and bought a pair of lamps. And so it began, a lovely day full of lovely people- people we had never met, but people who were to become part of our lives, whose small children would one day come back and purchase pieces for their first flat. At the end of that astoundingly successful day, it was more a feeling of relief as well as gratitude to those locals who had turned out to support us and wish us well.

2. Where we are now.

That day was just the start, the continued support we received from the loyal Malton customer base enabled us to grow gradually and organically. We exhibited at larger shows including Hampton Court Flower Show & Badminton Horse Trials. At the peak of our trade stand calendar we were exhibiting at 70 shows a year and had expanded to three stores, with further stores at Helmsley & Yarm. We rode the rollercoaster of the 2008 recession, Covid and Brexit, as well as a trade mark challenge to our original name of Indigo. But after deciding to embrace ecommerce, we are now back to our single Malton store and a busy online store, this has enabled customers to purchase from far and wide and for us to get involved in larger projects with hoteliers, TV production companies and bar fitters. I work from home during the week responsible for all the buying and marketing. I photograph, style, write about and share on social media each and every piece we stock. At 3pm I down tools to collect our kids from the village primary around the corner. If you pop in or telephone the store, you'll be greeted by Dan, Dan who is also responsible for all our dispatch and financial planning - who incidentally left his career in farm management in 2007 to live the dream- amazingly we're still happily married!

Image 4: Hampton Court Flower Show July 2009

Image 5: The shop interior summer 2016

Image 6: The shop front summer 2016

Image 7: The shop front winter 2016

Image 8: Me, for a Yorkshire Living magazine article 2016

2. How It Has Changed

And so a journey through a retail landscape that has changed beyond all recognition and one to which retailers of every size have had to adapt in order stay relevant. Many of our customers lament the demise of the high street, visitors to Malton describe their home towns containing little more than charity shops and empty shops and this has become the story of market towns up and down the country. Amazingly Malton has bucked this trend. Our landlord Fitzwilliam Estates, namely Tom Naylor-Leyland took the step to create the food capital of the North some years ago and invested in artisan food units within the Talbot yard (accessed via the ginnel that runs up the side of our store) and the beautifully renovated Talbot hotel. The vision has paid off and has led to many small independent businesses choosing Malton for their own story, creating a diverse and interesting destination that is firmly on the Yorkshire map.

Image 9: The second room ahead of the 2021 refurbishment.

Image 10: The new refurb

Image 11: Reconfiguring ahead of reopening after the pandemic.

4.The Future

I'd like to say we were trailblazers back in 2004. But the honest truth is that we were lucky, we were lucky to choose a shop in what at the time was a traditional but still lovely town. We were lucky that we were brave because we were young with few responsibilities save a small dog. We were the first shop of our kind, and now our trade is helped daily by the other independents who together with ourselves attract visitors to our pretty market town and make it a lovely place to work. We were also lucky to receive support and custom from lots of wonderful people at a time when without it we'd have become the statistical new business that fails within 18 months of opening. Today we are hugely excited for the future and our business continues to grow and adapt- my mantra at the start was to do something everyday that moved the business forward, a mantra that I still put to use on a daily basis.

Image 12: Happy 21st birthday to us, a collage of how we look today!

I am one of those ever so slightly annoying people who truly loves their job, the ecommerce side of the business has opened up a whole new world for Bowley & Jackson, but it is also rewarding to have a place of work to go to and see our wonderful neighbours, greet our regular customers and meet new people everyday. And for that a huge thank you for all your support over the last 21 years.

Alex & Dan X