Retail Business of the Year
Last week all the Magpies flew into Manchester for a night out at the Federation of Small Businesses Awards. We knew we had been shortlisted for Retail Business of the Year, but we didn’t really think we would actually win the award. We decided that we would get our glad rags on and have a right good night. We were a little star struck when we got there as the evening was hosted by Andy Crane (that bloke off the telly, mostly famous for Ed the Duck) and the other bloke off the Telly from “Cant Pay? We’ll take it away!” We made a plan to find them both at the end of the night for a selfie, however as usual I got distracted by something. This time is wasn’t anything sparkly, but the cutest little fur ball… Olive the pug.Olive was with her humans from Urban Paw Dog Grooming and she totally stole the show. As the boss I used my authority to over rule any other plans to get selfies with anyone else other than Olive. With our game plan for the night agreed upon we decided to just enjoy the food (Which was delicious) and the rest of the evening.
Imagine our surprise and delight when it came to the retail category and they read out Magpie’s Nest as the winner! I hadn’t even thought about winning and had no speech prepared so I dragged the girls onto the stage (I figured one of them might have a speech!! ha ha) and collected our award. The rest of the night was a blur as we celebrated with some very dodgy dancing being Retail business of the year for Greater Manchester, & North Cheshire.
On a serious note this is Magpie’s Nest’s third retail award, in as many years. After all the stress and hard work of moving for the third time into our new shop I have to say I felt very overwhelmed. It has got me thinking. I started this business in a small shop, at a point in my life where I was willing to do something different with my career because I had the cliched realisation that life is too short not to do what makes you happy. Since starting the Nest there have been many many long days, and battles. There have been moments of frustration and disappointment. However over all I am so happy in my job, and not many people get to say that.
I feel that without my Magpies who help me in the shop I would almost certainly have had some sort of stress related breakdown!! So a big thank you to the girls who all work in the Nest, you all do a fantastic job, and put up with my off the wall ideas, and crazy schemes:) I also have to say a massive HUGE thank you to the Finance Magpie. (Unlike me he’s never happy at the Nest! Generally he mutters about budgets and grumbles about my spending.. He doesn’t understand the lure of a gorgeous new handbag range) Finally I have to say thank you to you, our customers. With out your support and belief in Magpie’s Nest the business would not have grown and developed as it has. I might still be in the first small unit we took on the sqaure, but it wouldn’t be on the scale that we work now. So thank you. Thank you for calling in and looking, for buying, for saving with us, for feedback and for not letting the negative associations of Stalybridge as a ghost town put you off or deter you from supporting the Nest. You really are my Very Important Birds xx
You’ll also be please to know that I managed to get a selfie with Olive… I tried to rustle her but simply didn’t have a big enough handbag… I am currently looking at a new “Dog sized” Rustling bag range..:)