A moment of retail clarity with... Cositas

We had the pleasure of talking to Emma Bustamante, the founder of the beautiful interiors shop Cositas, in St Albans.  It was an absolute delight to chat to her and find out more about her business journey.

Tell us more about how Cositas came about…

 Cositas came about in 2017 after I had found myself without a job which forced me into moving forward with the shop.  If I hadn’t been put into that position with my back against the wall, I would have procrastinated thinking when is the right time.  So it was great to just have to do it, I work best like that! I’ve always worked in retail and the last 10 years of my career were in interiors, so I wasn’t scared to do it, I trusted in my ability.  

What are your top tips for running an interiors shop?

 To not be too rigid, you have to be flexible. You need to be able to change your mind and move quickly, especially the way retail is at the moment, be reactive. I love being on the shop floor and being with our customers, I should be off it a bit more working on the business but this is the bit I love, this is my happy place, where I love to be, and I love chatting to customers.  Honestly, we haven’t had one grumpy customer! 

What’s been the biggest surprise product success in your product range?

Industrial furniture was the thing I thought would be our unique selling point, highly coveted online and not widely available on the high street.  The fact that it was popular didn't surprise me but what did surprise me was the interest in it from men, I hadn’t really put them into my business plan but as a result of the industrial furniture 25% of our customers are men, which is what saw us through a really strong first year.  Now men send their wives into shop to look at things and I’m used to it being the other way round!

What’s been the highlight of your business experience to date?

It’s still really fresh in my head and I can’t stop thinking about it, we got mentioned in the business pages of the Daily Telegraph, I feel like that will be etched onto my gravestone “Emma Bustamante of the Business pages of the Daily Telegraph”. That has instilled me with such a lot of gratitude and confidence and a feeling that we’re going in the right direction, it was incredible and really, really surreal and not something I would never have expected.

What are the biggest challenges you are facing at the moment with your business?

 Retail in general is the trickiest challenge at the moment.  When we first opened there were way more shops down our road, where you could buy actual products rather than eat or drink and that’s really declined.  Is the high street dying?  I don’t think so, I think it's changing, threats from all angles. Localised threats being the rent, footfall and parking. More nationally, business rates, online shopping, the rise of pop up shops but we embrace that. The current climate has been our biggest threat but it’s also been a blessing as it’s given us the chance to stand out, forced us (I told you that I work better under pressure!), to be creative and to think outside of the box, to build a community around our shop.  It’s a multifaceted business now and that wouldn't have happened if it had been easy sailing, so it’s been stressful but also a blessing.   

Retail feels like a tsunami at the moment, we’re all clinging onto the tops of trees and those that can cling on until the water subsides will get back and start cleaning up but it’s just being able to hold on.

What do you love about your brand?

 I love that it is everything I had hoped it would be, edgy and cool.  I wanted everyone to be proud to walk around holding our carrier bags and I think that they are.  The image I wanted to put out, I think we’ve achieved, fashion forward and we’ve established ourselves as an authority in interiors and with the workshops as well which are really new to St Albans.  I also love the furniture painting community we’ve created.  

What’s the best piece of customer feedback you’ve ever received?

We’ve had such lovely feedback but what springs to mind is when a customer said you’ve really built a community around Cositas and the more I think about it, the more I think oh my goodness, I think I actually might have done!

Running a business is hard work, how do you give yourself a break?

 Running the business isn’t so much of a challenge, it’s being a single parent that is the most challenging.  Its going home and not having support at home.  I don’t mind that workload, I have had the last two Saturdays off, so I am starting to give myself some time but it wasn’t the working seven days that tired me out, it was going home and doing all the household jobs. I decided that I was working so hard and full on at home, I had to cut everything back and stop socialising, no romantic interests it’s just work and taking care of my family and I don’t feel pressured.  I don’t really unwind that much I just look after the business and my little ducklings and me and I’m happy with that.

If you could run another brand/shop/retailer for one day, which one would it be and why?

 That’s hard, I might actually say Abigail Ahern, she’s an amazing interior designer, she’s now got a shop, her own paint range and does workshops.  She’s just moved into the online workshop masterclasses, which is an inspiration to me and my next step!  She has so many things going on under one brand which is very similar to Cositas.  I would take notes the whole time if I worked there for a day and find out how she does it so seamlessly because it’s hard trying to tie different bits together making them one seamless brand and I think she does that really well.