This is how it all began…

When I first spotted the shop in July 2015 I knew this was exactly what I wanted for Seasonal Words. The quaint little shopping arcade, situated in St Andrew’s Court, Bolton had just the right feel and character I had been seeking for. So with a pray and a push, I went for it.

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The only thing was I had never opened a shop before from scratch. I didn’t have a clue how to start. So, I bought a book and read it. In fact, I bought several books, asked questions and gained enough information to start developing my shop.

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I found a shopfitter shop in Cheetham Hill and without a clue of how many shelves, card racks, and cupboards I needed I just trusted my instincts and bought as I saw fit. I didn’t think I did so bad. I was very pleased with how things were turning out.

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Slowly but surely, I began to make further progress. I was able to put together where all the products should go. Most of my products are either hand-made/designed, cultural or faith-based.

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Everything started coming together beautifully. And then I went to Cambodia through a charity called ‘Helping Hands’ to visit my sponsored child.  I didn’t know there was going to be other hidden surprises in Cambodia. I wasn’t expecting meeting so many lovely people and finding beautiful hand-made products which I thought would fit nicely in my shop.The amazing thing was by buying these amazing products, I would also be helping to support women who were victims of trafficking.

 

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Early December I was able to have a small launch of my shop. It turned out to be a lovely event.

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Everything is still a working process. I’m still finding my feet and learning new things and ideas.  My hope for the future is to build up an e-commerce platform for Seasonal Words. Times are changing and brick and mortar is now just one way to take a gift/card shop forward. That is how the story began. This is only the beginning of the journey. But I have no doubt that with God’s help and of course help and support from family, friends and more books, I’m going to move this business to the next level.

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http://seasonalwords.com/

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Elayne Ogbeta