Monks Clothing: Exclusive Menswear for West Malling

West Malling town centre is currently seeing a real boom in independent retailers, and Monks Clothing, a Swan Street boutique selling designer menswear, launched its flagship store at the end of 2013. Aptly named with its proximity to the Abbey, Monks Clothing perfectly fulfils the need for a menswear counterpart to womenswear store Fragolina, and childrenswear shop Soles with Heart. The Swan Street area now provides a local fashion retail venue for the whole family.

Monks Clothing - Swan Street - West Malling

Originally launched online, Monks Clothing was also keen to open a bricks and mortar store and hopes to expand further, with more shops in Kent planned within the next five years. This follows a growing trend for online fashion retailers to also open physical stores, providing multiple shopping channels and allowing their customers to handle products, try on clothing, and interact with their brands in a much more physical way than they can online.

We caught up with Amy Barker from Monk’s Clothing to discover a bit more about the products available in store, and to find out how the business is enjoying trading in West Malling:

What is the ethos behind the Monks Clothing store?

At Monks Clothing it's really important we give our customers a personalised service. We like to say we are "run by people...not computers" and put the traditional values back into shopping. Customers have the chance to browse in a relaxed environment without the stress and hassle of going to large shopping centres. All our brands are quite niche and we stock a limited amount of each style to keep exclusivity. We currently stock Religion menswear, Pearly King Clothing and Bellfield clothing and we are soon to stock Luke clothing which is a slightly more upmarket brand.
  

What’s your bestselling item or line?

Our best selling items are probably denim jeans. The Pearly King jeans are hand finished in the UK and are created using carefully selected threads and dying processes for a truly unique finish. Pearly King is probably our most popular line too, it's really exclusive for the area and all the garments are cut by hand and designed and finished in London with impeccable attention to detail.

Do you have any special suppliers, maybe a personal favourite?

One of our favourite suppliers is Hudson footwear. They are very helpful to work with and we can always order our customers shoes that we don't even stock.

What made you choose West Malling as the location for your store?

West Malling is such a beautiful and unique town. It has a real community spirit behind it and has so much potential. Having grown up in the town I have seen it develop and change dramatically and until recently the town had been dominated by bars and restaurants. The more different shops, restaurants, and cafés there are in the town the more reasons people have to come in.

How do you find your Swan Street location?

Swan Street itself is a fantastic location and the past year has seen some big changes. Being located off the main High Street means we don't get quite as much footfall but there are plenty of reasons for people to visit Swan Street now so that is changing.

How often do you change the window displays and how important is that for passing trade?

We try and change the window display every Friday. We find the window really pulls in new customers that maybe wouldn't have come in otherwise. It’s vital to let customers know about our new stock and we are hoping to come up with some more creative and interesting ways of displaying our clothes over the next year.

How do your customers find the parking availability?

Parking is certainly the biggest issue with West Malling but it’s always possible to find a space. Customers can also park in the business car park after 3pm on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday.

How have you found your first few months of trading to be?

We opened before Christmas so certainly started on a high. We’ve been very blessed to already have built up a loyal customer base, with many customers from West Malling, Leybourne, and Kings Hill. We find residents of the West Malling area are very keen to support local trade which is great for us!

What do your customers enjoy most about your store?

Customers always comment on the interior of the store. I think it really sets the mood! They love the selection of clothes, the exclusivity of the brands, and the high turnover of new products we get in. We have also recently launched a loyalty scheme which is great as customers can now be rewarded for shopping with us.

We’d like to thank Monks Clothing for taking the time to talk to us, and for its part in increasing the range of shopping possibilities for local residents and visitors to West Malling town centre. We wish Monks continued success with its new outlet.

If you haven’t yet ventured into the Monk’s Clothing store why not pop in this weekend? Alternatively if you’re already a Monk’s Clothing customer we’d love to hear from you in the comments box below.     

West Malling Christmas Gift Guide

It’s that time of year when the Christmas lights have already been switched on and we really need to give some serious thought to Christmas shopping. The great news is you don’t have to spend days trawling around Bluewater, or wrestle the crowds on Oxford Street; you can buy gifts for all your friends and family right here in West Malling!

Here are a few ideas to get you started if you’re heading out Christmas shopping in West Malling:

Christmas Gifts for Women

Fragolina Shop - Swan Street

You’ll be spoilt for choice if you’re looking for Christmas gifts for your wife, girlfriend, mother, or sister in West Malling. For something sparkly you could visit Martin Wilde Jewellery, where you can choose from a superb selection of ready-made necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, or you can have a bespoke piece designed in their on-site workshop. Alternatively P’s Jewellery stocks colourful gemstone and bead jewellery, which would be just as suitable for a teenage daughter as for a grown up sister.

West Malling shops are full of accessories for women that make wonderful Christmas gifts. For a completely unique selection of scarves, purses, and belts, alongside a range of vintage style clothing, pay a visit to Fragolina.

Katie's Candles - Abbey Arcade

For unusual handbags and jewellery from Toxic Angel, check out Beauty and Treats in the Abbey Arcade. Designer handbags from the likes of Zandra Rhodes, Fiorelli and Modolu can be found at Number 39, alongside a range of shoes and other accessories.Ladies love to be pampered at Christmas, so why not pop into MiraMira for a toiletry gift pack or a treatment voucher? Alternatively some luxurious scented candles from Katie’s Candles, in a gorgeously exotic scent such as coconut and mango, can help her to relax and unwind. If you’re looking for designer lingerie or nightwear, Josh Lingerie is the place to go. Finally, for tea light holders, lamps, and slippers, Morocco Land has a unique selection of hand crafted gifts.

Christmas Gifts for Men

Men are notoriously hard to buy for, but whatever they’re into we have it covered in West Malling. Your first stop should be the new Monks Clothing store, which stocks menswear brands such as Bellfield, Pearly King, and Religion, and can provide anything from cosy Christmas jumpers to hat and scarf sets. If your husband, father, or brother loves his kitchen gadgets, then make sure you pop into the Smith & Webb Cookshop where they sell everything from coffee machines to slow cookers.
For men that enjoy the great outdoors, Moor and Mountain is a treasure trove of gift ideas. From headlamps and compasses to waterproof jackets and ski goggles, they stock a great range of outdoor clothing and accessories. If you’re buying a gift for a keen fisherman, you may also want to check out West Malling Angling for specific fishing gifts.

Moor and Mountain

For men that enjoy their artwork, pay a visit to The Gallery in the Mill Yard. You can choose from a varied range of prints, or paintings by local artists, or you could have a special print or photograph of your own framed in their workshop. Dads and granddads would love a photo of the children for Christmas, so why not book a family photo shoot with the White Studio and have an image framed or printed on canvas?
  
Christmas Gifts for Children

Christmas is all about children, so we couldn’t write a West Malling Christmas gift guide without including something for the kids. For a lovely range of toys and stocking fillers, as well as activity and colouring books, pop into the Post Office. You can buy the stamps for your Christmas cards at the same time!

Childrens Shoes from Soles With Heart - Swan Street

Across the road at Soles With Heart, you can pick up colourful boots or trainers that would suit children and teenagers of all ages, as well as hair accessories, wellies, fluffy slippers, and children’s jewellery. Cater to their sweet tooth when you visit Chocolate Umbrella. Their original sweet Christmas cakes can be made to order and are guaranteed to be a success on Christmas Day. They also stock chocolate Santas, Christmas lollies, and edible decorations for your little ones to hang on the tree.

Christmas Shopping in West Malling

Christmas is a time when community spirit is at its best, so it’s a wonderful opportunity to support your local shops and businesses. We all shop and spend more in the run up to Christmas, so if that extra money can be spent in neighbourhood shops, on locally sourced products, it can help to sustain our local economies.

Walking into your local town to browse for Christmas goodies will make you feel far more festive than picking them up in the supermarket, and you may find the quality of the products in the local shops is so much better you carry on shopping there right through the New Year.

In a recent post we looked at the many advantages of shopping locally. These included the opportunity of buying fresh, local, organic produce that hasn’t travelled halfway around the world, the personal friendly service you receive in small local stores, and the environmentally friendly effect of walking into town rather than driving to out-of-town stores. All these benefits are particularly relevant during the Christmas period.

If you’d like to support the local shops and suppliers of the West Malling area when you’re preparing for Christmas this year, here are a few ideas on where you can pick up those festive essentials:

Christmas turkey. The most important item on anyone’s Christmas shopping list is a turkey for the big day. Why not combine shopping locally with supporting a worthwhile charity, when you order a delicious organic Christmas turkey from Spadework Farm Shop? Spadework is a charity that enables people with learning difficulties to develop independence and personal skills. Why not pick up your Christmas tree while you’re placing your order?

Christmas veggies. This is an easy one as there’s no better place to pick up fresh, locally produced vegetables than the West Malling Farmer’s Market. Held in the High Street on the fourth Sunday of each month, the farmer’s market is beautifully timed to take place on Sunday 22nd December. Look out for tasty cranberry sauce and chutneys alongside the parsnips, sprouts, and spuds.

Christmas cards and wrap. There’s another chance to support a valuable local charity when you’re looking for your Christmas cards. The Heart of Kent Hospice shop, located on West Malling High Street, has a stylish selection of cards and you’ll know your pennies are going to good use supporting palliative care for local people.

Christmas decorations. Nothing warms the dark days of winter like a Christmas candle, and at Katie’s Candles and Gifts in Abbey Arcade you can pick up gorgeous candles with festive scents ranging from orange, clove and cinnamon, to nutmeg and ginger. All their candles are hand poured with eco soy wax and natural cotton wicks, and are made in West Malling.

It adds an extra sparkle to Christmas when you know that all the seasonal food you’re eating, and all the festive decorations around you, are sourced locally. In a couple of weeks we’ll be publishing a West Malling Christmas gift guide, so look out for ideas about what to buy every member of you family, right here in West Malling.

How You Can Reap the Rewards of Local Shopping

Over the last decade the trend for out of town shopping has been clear. A lack of time and the promise of lower prices has meant that many families have done the majority of their shopping at large supermarkets, but now the tide does gradually seem to be turning.. and West Malling is a great example of where the High Street and Local Shops are supported and enjoyed by the people who live here and others who come to visit.

The popularity of shopping locally has been growing, and this is illustrated in the campaign that TSB bank used to re-launch last month. Using the strapline ‘welcome back to local banking’ TSB are marketing themselves as a local bank that serves the community, appealing to a growing feeling that people want to support local businesses. Figures released by the British Retail Consortium in April showed that the footfall in the High Street had increased 3.4% from the previous month, which seems to bear out the idea that people are enjoying the benefits of shopping locally. 

So what exactly are those benefits? Here are just a few of the advantages to shopping in your local town or village.

Become more connected with your local community. Commuting to work and popping into the supermarket on your way home can make you feel alienated from the community you live in, while visiting your local High Street can make you feel more involved. Combine shopping with a haircut, a coffee with a friend, or a visit to the local library, and pick up local news and developments as you go

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Abbey Arcade - West Malling High Street

Receive a more personal service. Smaller local shops may not be able to compete on price but they can offer a higher level of service with more personal interaction. Get to know your shopkeeper, ask for advice, or see if they can order particular products that you like. A trip to the supermarket often involves no human interaction at all with the advent of self-checkout, whereas a local shopping trip can be a really sociable experience.

Know the origin of your produce. After the horsemeat issues of the past year many shoppers have wanted to know more about the origins of their food. Supermarket labels will often give the country of origin, but very little additional information about where the product has come from and how it has been produced. On the other hand, when you shop locally, your shopkeeper should be able to provide far more details about the food chain, especially if you shop at a local farmer’s market where the produce will have come direct from local farms.

   

Biffo & Spanky Deli (behind the Farmhouse)

Try something different. When most people visit the supermarket they have a fixed route through the store, buying the same items they are familiar with every time. Supermarkets are generally too large for further exploration and we only usually try something new if it is on special offer. With smaller local shops however, it is far easier to investigate everything they have to offer, and to try out new flavours or varieties that would otherwise have passed us by. 

Enjoy a full sensory experience. While large supermarkets can be a little bland, independent local shops offer a wide experience of sights, sounds, and smells. Local retailers are starting to realise the importance of customer experience in competing with out-of-town or online shops, and are putting a lot of effort into making a visit to their store a unique and enjoyable event. A Saturday morning soaking up the atmosphere of your local shops can be more rewarding than a trip to the nearest retail park. 

Save petrol and get some exercise. Depending on where you live there are probably some shops within walking, or at least cycling distance. Leave the car at home and get some exercise, as well as reducing petrol consumption and helping the environment, when you visit the shops in your locality.

Local shops and services form the heart of our communities, and many people are starting to see the benefits of supporting them. In West Malling we’re lucky enough to have a vibrant centre with independent shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants, and a fabulous range of services. A visit to the centre of West Malling can be very rewarding, and you can be sure there will always be something new to catch your eye.

Could Small Business Saturday work in West Malling and the rest of the UK?

Have you heard of Small Business Saturday? If you know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday then you’re almost there; it’s the Saturday in between the two. Black Friday is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States coming immediately after Thanksgiving at the end of November. This has led many large retailers to extend their opening hours and offer fantastic promotions in order to attract shoppers. Cyber Monday is online retail’s chance to shine, and it occurs the Monday after Thanksgiving. 

Realising that local independent business were struggling to compete on these shopping holidays, the concept of Small Business Saturday was created. It happens on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it’s a day when shoppers are encouraged to support small local independent businesses rather than using larger national chain.

Small Business Saturday began in 2010 and was sponsored by American Express who provided coverage and advertising for the event. It has widespread support from celebrities and politicians alike. On Small Business Saturday 2012 even President Obama and his daughters were seen shopping at their local book store. On that day it is reported that Americans spent around $5.5 billion at local independent shops and restaurants

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Social media has played a large role in spreading the word about Small Business Saturday, but this has extended beyond that one specific day of the year. The Twitter hashtag #smallbusinesssaturday is now used on any Saturday in the year to promote independent businesses in much the same way as #followfriday is used to promote Twitter users or businesses on a Friday.   

  

Could Small Business Saturday Work in the UK?

It seems that the idea of launching Small Business Saturday in the UK has been discussed by the government and that American Express has even been asked to consider sponsoring the event in the same way they have in the US.  The suggested date for the first Small Business Saturday is 30 November 2013 as this would encourage shoppers to consider visiting and buying from smaller local retailers during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. 

In the UK there are already a number of campaigns underway to boost local retail and reverse the decline in local high streets and independent retailers that we have seen in recent years. The Federation of Small Businesses has a Keep Trade Local campaign which aims to encourage local authorities to spend locally, to improve parking for local shops, and to speed up the planning process for local businesses. Mary Portas’ well-known review of UK High Streets recommended a number of ways we can reinvigorate our local retail areas making them social hubs for the community. 

We’d love to hear your views on introducing Small Business Saturday to the UK. In the West Malling area we have a superb number of independent shops and businesses. Would Small Business Saturday inspire you to use a local independent retailer, do you already support your local shops and businesses, or do you think there are other ways we can encourage the use of local businesses?

Encouraging Retail Growth for February

The great news for retailers in West Malling, and indeed the UK as a whole, is that shopper confidence finally seems to be returning. Last month national retail sales grew at their highest rate in three years according to figures released by the British Retail Consortium.

Gradual improvement and customers feeling a bit more positive

Like-for-like sales figures for February 2013 showed that retail sales had increased 2.7% from the same time last year, which is the highest rate of growth since December 2009. February 2012 had seen a 0.3% decrease from 2011. February is notoriously a difficult month for retail with shoppers still feeling the pinch after Christmas, but this year shops have bucked the trend in what we hope is a sign of good things to come.
Helen Dickinson, Director General of the British Retail Consortium said, "It's reassuring that the sales momentum established during an encouraging January has built not faded. There are certainly highly-welcome signs here of gradual improvement and customers feeling a bit more positive.”

February sales were stimulated by a number of individual factors, but in general these were all linked by one key theme, which was retailers responding to their customers’ needs. The heavy snowfall at the end of January kept many shoppers indoors, so a large number of retailers responded by extending their January sales into February, and apparently reaped the rewards of doing so.

One retail sector that displayed strong growth was gifts, and this was likely to be due to Valentine’s Day halfway through the month, and a fairly early Mother’s day at the beginning of March. Retailers that tailored their product offering to these occasions and spent extra time and effort promoting their gift ranges are sure to have profited. Homeware sales also grew impressively, which may be linked to the recent upturn in the housing market.

Fashion was another sector that performed well and this will have been influenced by London Fashion Week. Shoes are usually the best selling fashion items in February but this year Spring clothing ranges were outselling shoes for a large part of the month. Again, fashion retailers that responded to the trends seen during Fashion Week would have been able to make good use of the momentum it created.

With the arrival of several new shops in West Malling during the beginning of 2013, the signs are good for retailers.  The lastest arrivals in the West Malling High Street include Fragolina - vintage clothes boutique, Number 39 - ladies shoes, bags and accessories and several new shops in Abbey Arcade, including From Mimi - baby and childrens clothing boutique, Baby Bea - for Mum-to-be, new baby and new Mum and All Things Beautiful for home accessories.

Overall these figures are a very positive sign for retailers. While nobody would dispute that times are still hard, it is clear that there are shoppers out there and they are increasingly ready to spend. Retailers that really understand what their customers want, and respond to those needs as well as to local and national events, are likely to be the ones whose businesses survive and grow despite difficult economic times.

West Malling Local Shops Website Project launches

After more than 2 years in the making, different ideas, false starts and various life happenings to trip us up, we have finally launched our new project on February 14 2013 West Malling Local Shops

An exciting and evolving project...... so here's to having reached the starting post.  Now we're off..... join in with us - everyone welcome...