How Corrie and Currie helped boutique bounce back online!
Internet sales prove massive hit for shop owners
WACKY weekly fashion shows with Coronation Street stars and a former Tory MP have helped a boutique fight back from coronavirus-enforced closure.
Married couple Steve Lanza and Jason Smith have welcomed the likes of Simon Gregson – better known as Steve Mcdonald on the Weatherfield cobbles – and
Edwina Currie, right, to their online extravaganzas. The pair had to rethink their strategy for their Leek store
Mosaic Boutique when the country went into lockdown in March.
So every Thursday they dress up to the nines for an evening of web-based entertainment, showcasing items to their loyal customers, who tune in week after week.
According to Steve, they now sell more stock in two hours than they normally would have all week. And he’s planning even more of the same.
He said: “I tend to have my best ideas in the middle of the night, so I always keep a notepad by my bed. This one night, I woke up at 4am and had this idea to do a live sale on Facebook.
“On the first night, we got out our sparkly jackets and went live, and we hadn’t a clue what we were doing, but so many people joined us and we sold out of absolutely everything in two hours.
“Afterwards, Jason and I sat down and just looked at each other and couldn’t believe what had happened. We knew we had to carry on and see where it could go, and now we are in our 23rd week.”
The Sheep Market shop, which has been open for 13 years, sells ladies’ fashion items including clothes and accessories at bargain prices. Nothing costs more than £30.
Mosaic Boutique is still closed, except for appointments and for people to pick up orders bought through the live sale.
Steve and Jason have also shipped items out to places such as Spain, Canada, Cyprus – and even the Falkland Islands.
Steve added: “Every single item of clothing will have a number on it, and you simply have to comment on that number then call us afterwards to make payment. Then you can either come and pick it up from the shop, or we can post it out to you.
“We also have a couple of raffles. One is for someone to win their item, so we pull out a random number and if that’s the item you have chosen, it’s free. Then we do some special spot raffles such as a bottle of wine, that kind of thing.
“The biggest draw to the lives is our personalities. We really do have such a passion for what we are selling, and for entertaining people. Jason is always having costume changes, and if we don’t have a special guest at the end of the show, Jason will dress up as one. Last week, he was Kylie Minogue!”
Steve says he always replies to all the online comments, adding: “Even if I have 1,500, I will sit down the next day and make sure to respond. No one goes unnoticed.”
Businessman Steve already has his ice cream business, Lanza’s Ice Creams, now in its 10th year, as well as a mobile prosecco cart business, both of which he hires out for weddings and other events. This year, he has only managed to do two events with his other businesses, so the live sales have been crucial for him and Jason.
“We didn’t think it would take off so well,” he said. “The first week we had around 90 people tune in, now we have 400 to 500 people every single week. We are one big Mosaic family. We sell more in two hours than we would have done all week in the shop.
“And we have had such lovely messages from people saying how much we have cheered them up. Some people have told us they have had very dark thoughts, but we have helped put a smile on their face and stopped them from doing some very dark things. We didn’t set out to do that, and didn’t even realise we were helping people in that way.”
■ Find out more about Mosaic Boutique, and join in with their weekly live sale at 8.30pm every Thursday on Facebook.