When we closed our shop at The Junction Mall, we knew that we needed to choose a new location, but that proved to be quite difficult!
Kenya has had an influx of malls being built recently, and which one serves your clientele and location... that can make or break a business! So we did what any good company would do.. we started chatting to our clients. We asked them where they lived, where they travelled to and what they liked about the old and new malls that are spread about the country.
What we found out was that our clients do not like to spend hours window shopping, they know what they like, and they want ease and convenience when shopping for it. They also don't want a very large shopping complex where they would have to search for us, they want us to be easily located, and our displays to be clean and organized.
This was a valuable lesson for us, because every business should know how their shop locations and displays play a large role in your business. So as much as I love to put EVERY item that I have ever designed out on the shop floor... I had to learn to clean up my displays and make my products clear to understand their function and beauty. This was very very hard.. especially for me!
After many different requests about locations from our fabulous clients.. the one that kept coming up over and over was Rosslyn Riviera. So we thought lets head over and chat with the mall and see what was available... and we fell in love. It was easily accessible, small but not tiny and well built. We liked the anchor tenants that were already there, and the smaller shops that have been slowly opening there all had a very unique boutique feel. Each one feels special, like you are going to find that perfect item that you have been searching for.
So we chose a spot and got to fitting out the space. Layout designs and measurements were done, color combos were planned, flooring options and more were all designed to make our space feel like our brand does. Beautiful, comfortable and functional. You can't believe how many little problems you come across everyday during the build... cables that don't work, items that have been broken in transport, parts that are suddenly missing, each day is like a running a long marathon, where you feel like you are about to crest over the final hill, only to get to the top and see a tricky little slide downwards, and another hill staring back at you. But Maggie and I are stubborn, we kept pushing forward and fixing one issue at a time. We took turns getting mad, excited, exhausted and even shed a few tears... and with that joint push.. we finally made it!
We have been so excited to see some new customers come through the doors already, and so many of our existing customers and friends come by and visit.
Thanks so much everyone for your support! You are the reason that we will always keep pushing forward and designing!
Lots of Love, Adventures and Travels from Maggie & Monique
xoxo