When did you start Write at Home?
Write at Home was started in 2010, it grew from my childhood love of stationery. I originally started by selling the Organised Mum range and a beautiful range of journals that are handmade in Nepal from lokta paper.
My range of stationery has increased steadily ever since, as I discovered that there was no-one selling stationery independently in this area (Tayside, Scotland) David (my husband) joined me this year and is still a work in progress re stationery addiction!
I initially sold at small local events but have now progressed to larger events such as Living North in Newcastle and Country Living in Glasgow and Harrogate.
How long have you personally been a Filofax user?
I was given my first Filofax in the mid 80’s which was a black personal (no idea of the make!) but got out of the habit and rediscovered my love of them this year when I came across a Kendal A5 in Staples but was escorted from the premises by David before I could get my credit card out!! Unbeknown to David, I then started to search the internet on a regular basis until I found my Kendal and then my obsession started!!
David is now the proud owner of a vintage Richmond. His interest in using paper began a couple of years ago at university where he was a mature student. He found it easier to organise his coursework on paper than it was on the various online organisers, thus bewildering his fellow students!! When I presented him with the Richmond it proved to be a fait accompli!!!! His Richmond is now his constant companion (apart from me!)
What do you use Filofax for?
I have 2 separate Filofaxes, my beloved Kendal and a red personal classic. My Kendal is my main organiser, for both business and personal use and my Classic is used solely for all things related to my work as a SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) Caseworker.
Which are your most popular products?
Our other best sellers include our own Catriona Mary range of notebooks and the Organised Mum range.
What does the future hold for Write at Home?
We have just started to stock Filofax and are working on developing our own range of diaries and notebooks. David is constantly surprised at how many stationery aficionados’ there are out there but this is no surprise to me whatsoever. We are permanently adding to our range on-line and hope to be stocking Moleskine, amongst others, before too long.
Thank you Margaret for that insight and I'm sure there will be plenty of our readers heading over to your website to take a look at your stock at http://writeathome.co.uk
It's tough to be in business at the moment, so good luck with your new Filofax range.
ReplyDeleteJust a quick thought though - have you considered custom fill, or indeed empty binders? It's certainly something you could offer when the larger sellers either can't or won't.
If a customer can come to you and ask for an A5 Cuban, with plain blue paper, no address sheets, two sets of A-Z dividers and a day per page diary, and you're the only retailer in the country that can meet their requirements, who're they gonna call?
Just mix and match, and use Ebay to dispose of any surplus sheets that build up over time.
Sorry for the late response Neil but I have been away at a large Christmas event. What a fantastic idea and yes that is a service that we will be offering!
ReplyDeleteThank you Steve for featuring us and thank you everyone for popping over to check out the website, it is really appreciated xx