Serendipity Boutique is based in Royston on The Wells. They are a women’s wear boutique offering styles from casual to occasion wear, handbags, shoes, and accessories are also available together with a small selection of children’s wear.  Read the interview below with owner Diane on being a village boutique.

What is the history of Serendipity?

'The boutique has been opened 6 years in September originally with mother-of-the-bride styles but after listening to our customers, they wanted more smart casual styles, something that would take them from a day out shopping with friends to cocktails in the early evening.  Making those small changes we are now able to offer a great choice of styles to everyone for any occasion.'

What brands do you stock and what are the average prices?

'We stock UK brands such as Jolaby, Aftershock, Diva Catwalk, Closet, Lindy Bop and Red & Royal together with Vero Moda which is a new label to us this season.  Prices start from around £15 upwards for a top and dresses starting from £35 upwards. Our jewellery collection includes styles from Tempest and Pinkiss together with Nour of London. We also have a great collection of clutch bags, evening bags and day bags with prices starting from £19 upwards together with our scarves and Gift Vouchers we really do have something for everyone and every budget.'



How do you stand out from other boutiques that sell similar products?

'We never stock more than 1 or 2 of the same style.  We have new stock arriving every 7-14 days so we are constantly being refreshed in new pieces. We offer a personal shopping experience and build up a rapport with the customer to make sure they are buying the right items for their needs. We also offer a lay-away service where a £5 deposit holds an item for up to 2 months, making it easier for customers to get the items they want without having to pay for it all at once. It benefits us being a village boutique, as our customers will come to visit us first before heading into the town centre. You can get 10% off with a valid NUS card, we always have a sale rail with up to 75% off throughout the year for end of line items and last-chance-to-buys, as well as running promos each season.'


How do you market yourself and where do your customers come from?

'We regularly advertise in the Darton Arrow Magazine to reach our neighbouring villages. Facebook is our key social media platform and works really well for us as each member of staff will share out content from the page onto their personal profiles. However, word of mouth is our most powerful marketing tool as all of our customers have brought other customers to us. Many of our customers and clients come from Royston and the surrounding areas.  We have also had many new customers come from Huddersfield, Rochdale, Manchester, London and Cornwall, but we also have posted out to San Francisco and Las Vegas!'

What's the future for Serendipity?

'We want to maintain the success we are having whilst gaining more customers. New styles are coming in all the time and following current trends but still being new and different, we want this to attract new types of customers all of the time.’

Serendipity Boutique, 9 Station Road, Royston, Barnsley, S71 4EW

Call 01226 727818

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