On November 5th last year we began the second national lockdown, thousands of people were on furlough and the planet felt like a very uncertain place to be. Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention and, during these most unpredictable of times, a crop of innovative, creative and courageous businesses was born.
To celebrate Brothers & Sisters reaching the grand old age of one, our next series ‘We Are One’ will tell the story of some of the independents we’ve watched grow over the last 12 months. Class of 2020, we salute you.
Set up by Louise and launched on November 14th 2020, Sukikoko is a gift & lifestyle webshop and pop-up shop. Sukikoko selects bold, bright and fun items to cheer up any dull day, home or outfit and, to celebrate one year in business, Louise will be sharing a birthday discount over the shop socials.
How did Sukikoko come about?
I was on furlough from Spring 2020 and started planning the shop over the summer, with a launch date pencilled in for November. Then lockdown 2 happened and the plan switched to 100% online…
What have been the best bits of the last year?
What a bizarre year for retail and in general to be honest! The website is stronger than ever and there have been some fantastic moments along the way. In December last year we hosted a few pop up shops in the Elk (bar!) in Hale. It was great and all the locals loved it. This gave us the confidence to head over to the Pop Up shop in The Stamford Quarter in Alty and do two week long stints! It was fantastic!
What’s been the biggest challenge in your first year of trading?
The tough part for me was the January Lockdown, having two young kids at home and a husband working full time made running a small business tricky. I’m proud I kept it all going and managed to do all the homeschooling – just bloody hope it doesn’t happen again though!!”
What’s next for Sukikoko?
We’re excited about what’s to come, our range has extended, we’re starting a kids’ collection and we hope to have our own candle range in 2022. We’ll be hosting more and more pop -ups in a range of locations and we’re currently discussing some evening Christmas shopping events too!
What’s kept you going over the last year?
All in all it’s been fantastic and the support from locals and online has been wonderful. When used for good and productively, social media can be great and it’s been an excellent tool for small businesses.
For the latest products and details of up-coming pop-ups follow Sukikoko on Instagram or visit the website.
Brothers & Sisters 