00:00We're here in Technol at Hugs and Kisses, and it's a family affair, and we're here with...
00:04Caroline Wellwell.
00:05So Caroline, you work here with your daughter?
00:07I do, yes, Katie.
00:09And what's it like working with family? Did she get on alright?
00:13No, it's great. She's great. She's been with me right from the start.
00:17So, yeah, it's definitely a big family affair.
00:19And you're holding a couple of shiny bits of bling there. Just fill us in on what we are.
00:24We've got, what's that one say? The Greats?
00:26This one is Independent Gift Retailer of the Year, Wales and the Midlands.
00:32And then what's the other one, the shiny one? Which looks quite rob heavy.
00:36She's quite heavy. That's the Risa Awards, which is for the Best Card, Independent Card Retailer in the Midlands.
00:44You're no stranger to awards, are you? You've won a few different things, including Best Window.
00:49Yes, we won that last year.
00:51So how long have you been here then, as a business?
00:54This business has been here for 21 years. Prior to this one we had another shop down in Little Merry Hill in Wolverhampton.
01:01Okay.
01:02Which we opened in 2000 actually.
01:05So, talk us, why do you keep winning awards? What is it you're doing here that's so special?
01:11I'm not sure.
01:12We just, we just do our best. I go to lots of trade shows, sourcing new products.
01:18The secret to a shop in a village like this, you've got to keep the stock changing, keep it turning.
01:24Otherwise the customers get bored. We have the same customers in all the time.
01:28You get to know them, you get to know what they want and you listen to your customers.
01:33Yeah, and you've got, it's quite a diverse range of items you've got in there, haven't you?
01:37Just talk us through some of the products. I've seen some scented candles.
01:40Yeah, we do a lot of home fragrance. We do scented candles, diffusers, incense. We do luxury Belgian chocolates.
01:50Huge range of greeting cards, gift wrap, gift bags and gift dressings. We do a big range of jewellery.
02:00We do perfumes, toiletries, heaven skincare as well.
02:06Perhaps it's the magic of that mother-daughter combo, kind of, you know, that nice, friendly fit vibe that people get when they come in the shop.
02:14Yeah, maybe.
02:15That keeps them coming back. Well, well done on your awards and long may you win many more.
02:21Oh, thank you very much.
02:22Cheers, thank you.
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