Go Furness

Crocs and Docs and All that Glitters

Fi arrived in Ulverston four years ago with 2 children and one bag of clothes and no money. That was 4 years ago. Today, she runs one of the most popular and successful shops in town. How did she do it?

She put a business plan together and borrowed £3,000 from the bank and off she went. It was a calculated and affordable risk. She found a house and gradually furnished it with things from charity shops as she could afford them. She attracted kindness from people she met and soon created a lovely home and shop and a good support network.

The moment you walk into Olive, you are transported to festival land! Wonderful heady smells, brightly coloured fabrics and clothes, fairy lights, Eastern wall hangings, world music, greeting cards, a glamorous sales team, funky jewellery, candles and Doc Martins, Crocs, lighting, and accessories. The best thing is, it is all affordable! So impressive is Olive, that Fi has been offered a half a million plus a salary to franchise it. But Fi put her two children first and decided to nurture her own baby- Olive. She has no regrets.

I asked Fi where the idea came from to set up. She said that she spotted the gap in the market. “You know when you want something on a Friday for a night out and you don’t want to leave town, but you want something affordable”. She was a hairdresser before this, so was already in the market of making people feel and look good.

In addition to running the shop, she is a valuable member of the community. She is very involved in Fashion Week and was instrumental in setting up the Masquerade Ball. Fi is also central to the maverick group UCAN, Ulverston Community Arts Network who are starting to fill a bit of the hole that Welfare State left behind. UCAN attach themselves to all the festivals and will assume a big role in the Lantern Procession Finale this year. It’s hard to separate this dynamic and charismatic personality from the personality of the shop. Fi is to the Art Movement as Tom (from Working Class Heroes) is to the Skating Scene.

And in fact, it is not surprising that they have formed a symbiotic working-relationship and offer each other advice, support and work together for the good of the town. The pair of them have made a commitment to open a Thursday Late Night and a Sunday in order to create a trend and encourage new shopping habits.

She has amazing resilience and attitudes that are warmed by a fantastic sense of fun. She will be one to watch, something tells me this tough lady will not be stopping with Olive.

Her skills and success are built on a very structured business plan. She knew exactly what her outgoings were from the beginning and she did her maths well. She would advise anyone setting up in business to do the same. ??If you have not yet been to Olive, go and have a peek. You’ll love it!

Posted by Kay Hebbourn on 18th March.