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.

Why West Malling Farmers Market is worth a visit

One of the best things about living in the West Malling area is the fantastic Farmers Market that takes place on the 4th Sunday of each month. In fact the next market is just a few days away on 28 April 2013 and we can’t wait to browse the stalls that line the High Street; after all it’s what that beautiful wide road through the centre of the town was designed for.

West Malling Farmers Market

In the national media recently there have been a lot of questions asked about the produce we eat and where it comes from, especially meat and processed foods that we buy in the supermarkets. The concerns over horse meat contamination that have filled the newspapers have only highlighted the fact that as consumers we have very little idea what is in our food, and what happens to it before it arrives on the supermarket shelves. 

Local Produce from Local Producers

A huge advantage of shopping at the West Malling Farmer’s Market is that everything sold there is produced locally and we can have direct contact with the farmers and producers themselves, asking them anything we want to know about the food we are buying. We can choose fresh meat, fish, bread, eggs, fruit, and vegetables direct from the source, and support our local economy at the same time.

As shopping directly from local producers gains popularity, other ways of sourcing local products are starting to appear. A new online service called Farm Drop has begun in London and aims to spread all over the country. Their vision is to bring together regional groups of farmers and producers with local shoppers. The shopper will order online through the Farm Drop website and the farmers will bring the produce to a local venue such as a pub or community centre for a prearranged drop off.  

The ethos of Farm Drop is to use online technology to reconnect farmers and producers with consumers in their region, strengthening local communities. They believe that food sourced locally will be fresher, healthier, and simpler. They also believe that produce sold through Farm Drop can be sensibly priced without producers losing out, because the system will eliminate the transport costs and heavy mark-up often associated with supermarket food.
 

Located in the Garden of England, West Malling is surrounded by farms and local producers, yet a huge proportion of the food we eat is imported from abroad. We all have a fantastic opportunity to choose good value, fresh, local food direct from the producers, whether we visit the farmer’s market, buy from local farm shops, or even set up our own regional Farm Drop.

There is also a Farmers Market that has started at Offham.  This is run on the 2nd Saturday of each month at Spadework in Teston Road, Offham.  With the arrival of Offham Farmers Market too, the West Malling area is lucky to have the benefit of access to 2 markets a month where we can buy local produce and to talk directly to the people who produce it. 

More details on Offham Farmers Market and we will be letting folks know more about the producers and stallholders on the West Malling Local Shops website very soon.

In the meantime, with the warmer weather coming, it's a great month to visit a Farmers Market to catch up on what's available.

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...