Our Silent Heros

Hello again everybody.

Having had a really busy December and a start to the new year with lots going on, I can't quite believe a month has passed since I wrote my last blog. I really hope Christmas was a good one for all you readers and that not only has 2010 so far proved to be a good year but that it will continue to be a happy and prosperous year for all.

Today, I want to write about the weather - yes, I'm sure there have been plenty of other writers chatting away about the snow these last few days and weeks. It's been pretty much headline news for some time now and although I don't want to diminish the inconvenience suffered by so many people, a difference to our regular routine brings the perfect opportunity to reassess what we do and how we do it. We managed to open our shop during both the heavy snows shortly before Christmas and over the last few days, although in Bond Street only about half of the shops were able to open. Locally, the buses weren't initially out and about, but the trains were, albeit with a reduced service. This is remarkable really, as the operators at the stations had to get to work, as did the train drivers and today the bus drivers. I don't think we should underestimate the efforts that ordinary, regular people put in to helping life carry on as close to normal as possible. The photograph featured here was taken on the first day of snow shortly before Christmas at Preston Park station, just outside of Brighton. A friend was desperate to reach Gatwick for his flight, and you can see from the light that the shot was taken reasonably early in the morning. Yet, here is this silent hero, clearing the platform for others who would later be trying to make their own way to work (or elsewhere) in the coming hours that day. Those who made it to Preston Park Station would have been unaware of this man's earlier efforts so I send him, and all those like him, a silent thank you on behalf of everyone.

Elsewhere today, although the centre of Brighton was very quiet, I was in Hove and a local cafe was buzzing. That's another great thing about being forced to slow down and stay local. I felt a little trapped in a time warp; the roads were quiet, very few people were walking along the pavements (far too icy!) and there was a silence that you only get when you are away from roads. It was actually rather nice. At Tsena, we buy locally and shop locally where we can. I know it's an impossible fantasy but maybe there should be a ruling that once a month everyone is asked to stay within their local community and support each other, just like the man in the photo is doing.

Famous Faces at Tsena

Despite the rain I had a lovely weekend having travelled to Guildford to see my nephew in an alternative version of 'The Snow Queen'. Well done to Danny and all his friends who entertained the audience magnificently in a simple, but powerful and thought provoking production. The plays director has a famous sportsman for a husband and whilst waiting in the cafe before the start the said man appeared, much to the pleasure of the public enjoying their tea.

Seeing the public reaction to a well known figure took me back to the streets of Brighton where many a familiar face is seen. Our shop is opposite the stage door of Brighton's Theatre Royal and over the years we have had the pleasure of many famous faces gracing our doors, not to mention some of the local celebrities who regularly come and buy our bits!

We have always chosen to be very discreet about the the private shopping habits of those Tsena customers who appear on television and feature on magazine covers, however we can share with you information about what they buy. So, what do celebrities choose when shopping at Tsena? Usually, it is our lovely baby clothes that grab the attention, coupled with our handmade gifts for children such as the animal name prints from Katiepie designs. Our baby clothes work so well as they are not normally the sort of clothes that parents buy for their own children, more they are the perfect presents from adoring relatives such as aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandads. It's quite an intangible thing to explain why they work so well as keepsake gifts, but they do. The quality of fabric, the original design and the cute sayings all add up to a sum total of a really special gift and one that the doting parents will want to treasure for years to come. It's perhaps a much more modern habit, but I secretly wish my parents had kept my first pair of shoes! Again, it is generally a relatively new idea, but our Birthday Books offer parents the space to record the family going-ons over the year with a birthday photograph, from 0-18 years. Can you imagine what a truly amazing book that will be when complete, and how future children will have hours of pleasure looking at the family history of their mother or father? Click through to our website here if you want to find out more about the kinds of gifts our celebrities buy.

Ethical Retailing

I wanted to write this week about my support for the Compassion in World Farming 'Chicken Out' campaign and in particular their current campaign with reference to the 2012 London Olympics. I hesitated before linking this blog to Tsena, but actually there is a connection between what we try and do at Tsena with regard to the products we sell, and the history of those products, with what this campaign is trying to do.

If I'm honest I find it quite shocking that the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games is even considering a snub to the world of animal welfare and good food quality by proposing to set its baseline procurement standard as Red Tractor accreditation - a standard which allows pigs and chickens to be farmed intensively. Hopefully of course enough people join the campaign and the committee are encouraged to take this opportunity to show the world how forward thinking we are as a nation with regard to both animal welfare and a commitment to high food quality.

What has this got to do with Tsena, you may ask! Well, essentially when Tsena was first created the ethos behind our company and the products we offer was one of quality, originality in what we sell, but of equal importance was my desire to offer gifts that have been hand made by an individual who received a fair price for their product. And all this in a time before the wonderful 'Fair Trade' trademark was quite so popular. In other words, Tsena is run without there being a detrimental cost, either financially or emotionally, to others in the chain of production. This should surely be the case too for such an internationally promoted event - yes, the Olympics is pure excitement from a sports point of view, and to oversee a successful games they will have to be run like a super-duper efficient business, but never, even in the world of business, should one persons success (ie. profit) be at the expense of any other sentient being and this includes the forthcoming London Olympics just as much as anything else.

If you have a moment, please do visit the Compassion in World Farming website to join their campaign. In the meantime, click here to have a look at the imaginative gifts for all special occasions available from Tsena - excellent gifts with style, quality and design, all at affordable prices and no exploitation along the way. It's a win win situation.

Bye for now, more soon, Janex

Learning From Others

Another very busy week at Tsena - a couple of weeks ago one of our staff discovered her partner was to be sent abroad with work, and she of course decided she would move too. Having an unexpected staff vacancy meant putting a little job advertisement in our shop window; within days we found ourselves sifting through the many applications.

Interviewing is such an interesting thing to do - you get to learn so much about a lovely cross section of people. Being based in Brighton, we often have applicants who have recently moved to the area; applicants who are full of enthusiasm and delight about the wonders of Brighton's North Laine. It takes me right back to when I first moved here - the vibrant beat of the North Laine with all it's quirky people, shops and entertainment. I remember walking along Bond Street filled with excitement that this is where I live, where I work and I was contributing in my own little way to the fabulous mix.

You also get to learn how some people prepare so well for an interview, and others still have a lot to learn. But, without fail all wanted to work for a small business, one where they could take the role and make it their own. Several had had huge experience working for dynamic, fast moving retailers where sales were the priority, not customer service or customer satisfaction. All wanted to work in an environment where we genuinely love the products that we sell; an environment where we have knowledge of the makers - our products come with a little history, with a story to tell. It makes the shopping experience so much more interesting for the customer but also the work experience for the retailer so much more rewarding.

I feel honoured to have met those young people this week - to have heard their stories, their hopes and ambitions. Quite a number expressed a long term goal of a retail business of their own; working for a small independent retailer like Tsena will teach the successful candidate the realities of running a small business and they in turn will remind me how lucky I am to work with the products and designer makers that I do. For those who were not successful in their application, I wish them well and hope others can help them take that step closer to their dream.

The Accidental Retailer

Well, we've been promising our customers for what seems like ages that we'll get with the times and start writing a blog. It's not that we don't have anything to say - we live our working day in a constant state of excitement about our lovely new deliveries - it's more that we're too modest and perhaps don't shout about things enough. That's why I think of myself as the accidental retailer. I absolutely love the products we work with and our designers, all based here in the UK, are just fabulous. We love being able to offer customers exciting, original gift ideas and from what we understand, those who have found our shop in Brighton's North Laine, (at 6 Bond Street) or our lovely website, they seem to love what we do too. It's just that I'm not so good at shouting about it and in today's world unfortunately that sometimes means you get overlooked - remember that old saying 'empty cans rattle louder'?

We don't offer special bargain pieces, two for the price of one, or any other marketing ploy. What we sell are simply excellent quality gifts that are as much a pleasure to give as to receive. Old fashioned values in a fast moving world don't always get noticed, but customers who know us love us and what we do.

As a sample idea, the picture shows something from our Little Experience range - quality gifts designed to work young minds. Have a look at our website tsena.co.uk for more children's gift ideas - how about this Christmas, keep away from mass produced products that'll get binned after a few days. Instead, opt for a gift that uses traditrional crafting methods and will keep a young mind happily occupied. Please email us with any comments - info@tsena.co.uk, or of course, post any comments here.

More soon,

Jane @ Tsena xxx