Located just off Castle St, Jane has been in the unit housing Jiggery Pokery since September '11 and specialises in ladies fashion and accessories, catering for a range of ages and supplying mainly Danish stock (she appreciates the tailoring of the garments) to the people of Carlisle.
"Originally I was catering only for the 40+ age range but I found a lot of daughters would come in with their mothers so I started stocking a few day dresses aimed at them for £40, and they sold really well," explains Jane.Originally starting out seven years ago, Jane would do parties for her customers, selling accessorises. She then moved to a small shop near Carlisle, at Orton Grange.
There she was catering for those stopping by for afternoon tea and travelling; at Jiggery Pokery in the city centre, the clientele is a lot more focussed and so far Jane is reaching her target audience and is being quite successful.
Despite the majority of the stock being aimed at a slightly older generation, Jane is keen to expand on the lines she carries for the younger customers.
"It all started when I went to the annual Pure trade fair in London two years ago and noticed these Chinese girls had a stand of vintage inspired, delicate dresses on a couple of rails which were getting a lot of interest.
"When I went back the following year, they had a bigger stand with a lot more dresses and people were enquiring about them from all over, particularly the Irish! That's when I knew I had to get involved," says Jane.
The range that Jane is referring to is the independent label 'Soma London' and despite the brand being in the very early stages and being extremely new, it has been a hit in Carlisle.
The dresses are an alternative to what you find in a lot of high-street stores. Elegant, individual and proving to be a popular choice with Carlisle twenty-somethings, Jane has certainly found a window in the market for young ladies wanting a change from Topshop and Miss Selfridge!
Jane has been very patient with Jiggery Pokery so far, "It is important not to have too bigger expectations to begin with when you're starting out."
When it comes to running independent boutiques and shops in a city that already plays host to many popular high-street brands, it is all about finding that niche in the market, and developing yourself to what is already out there.
Jane added: "I'm faced with a double-ended-sword. I don't stock the big corporate brands because I don't want to be a catalogue for their stock, but at the same time, it is about getting customers through the doors."
Jiggery Pokery is an independent retailer, stocking independent labels that people generally haven't heard of. A lot may view this as a good thing, but it is typically the brands and labels that catch the customers attention the most. This is one of the major downfalls of independent trading.
"It's difficult finding that balance, it's a very fine line. Some of my brands have a following like Masai which is quite popular, but not all of them," says Jane.
Another issue for retailers like Jiggery Pokery is the internet.
The sheer power of online shopping is one of the reasons a lot of boutiques go out of business.
"The problem for me here is that the older generation don't use online shopping; they prefer to come into town. But the younger generation are all about internet shopping and that's a problem for retailers like me as they're not spending they're money in store," explains Jane.
Jiggery Pokery has plans to go online from August this year, but Jane has her reservations about the idea.
Unless there is a brand for the customer to Google, then reaching out to the right crowd can be tough admits Jane.
A lot of independent retailers face huge overheads and advertising costs so sometimes an online service is a sensible option, at the same time, I hope that the public continue to pop into Jiggery Pokery and Jane's success continues!
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