Cariads was first opened in 1996 by Maggie, she sold the business to me in 2008 and has continued to work here, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge from over 35 yrs in the Fashion business. I have known Maggie since I was 2 yrs old playing with her daughter in the back of her shops. My background has been an interesting mix, my two loves were Textiles and Catering. I have worked as a maker and
have manufactured both in fabrics and leather (working for Conker Shoes for over 4 yrs) and went on to design my own label for 12 of the large concessions of Top Shop in my early 20's. Since then I went on to own my own award winning Wet Fish shop 'Ticklemore Fish', based in Totnes for 8 yrs, here I learnt to really create a strong brand and customer loyalty which was a joy to be part of. This outgrew me so I sold it on in 2002 and gave my time voluntarily into the youth work sector. I found I had a huge passion for this line of work and retrained as a youth worker and learning mentor working with vulnerable young people where I made it to management level as a co-ordintaor for Children and Young People services. I then realised I really should be working once again for myself and Fashion was an obvious one for me, perhaps not to others as they always saw me in practical jeans! I love to reinvent myself and here I finally get the chance to help others do the same too and discover who they are by expressing themselves through clothes. There are so many transferable skills I have used which have surprised me along my journey. The way people feel about themselves can be directly perceived by the choice of clothes they wear. Here at Cariads we feel the importance of creating a safe, relaxed environment where women can explore and play with their looks and consequently build their self esteem. I have witnessed women transform in front of my eyes, which really gives me a sense of personal fulfillment which drives me to carry on. To me Cariads is not just a shop but a place where you feel you can call round on your best friend and get her advice and help on what to wear. I am always happy to help or to recoomend another retail outlet if I feel I cannot offer what they need, as to me a shop is part of a larger community which makes the town of Totnes what it is. Women love clothes for all different reasons, may it be for a special occasion where they can shine or an everday favourite jumper that makes them feel warm and snug. We offer a friendly supportive customer service that goes that bit further to help our loyal customer base which is growing. We select clothes from all over Europe, looking out for clothes that shout at us, with their quality, fabric and cut. My ethos long term is to have a vibrant shop where customers feel valued and come away with a feel good factor. A shop you can rely on when you really need to find something that you just simply love to wear. I try to listen to customers wishes and we seem to have two distinct lines, stylish unique clothes and those made from natural fabrics, linen to cotton and cashmere, which is an area I am going to develop further. I am also set on sourcing clothes in the future for larger sizes.
