‘We’ll never rest on our laurels,’ says town centre business approaching ‘surreal’ seventh anniversary
The owner of a vintage emporium at the heart of Northampton town centre says the business will “never rest on its laurels” ahead of its “surreal” seventh anniversary.
Vintage Guru, in St Giles’ Street, is full to the brim with vintage and new gifts, homeware, clothes, accessories, vinyl records, and houses tens of independent businesses.
It was founded in August 2018 when there was a gap in the town following the closure of the popular Most Marvellous.
With the business set to reach its next impressive milestone in exactly two weeks' time (August 18), founder Julie Teckman spoke to the Chronicle & Echo.
“It’s a bit surreal really,” said Julie. “It’s gone so quickly. When you first take out a lease and it’s for seven years, you think it’s a long time. Coming to the end of that is a milestone and we’ll be extending the original lease.”
Talking about being at the heart of the town centre, Julie continued: “We’ve seen so much going on and a lot of change in how the town centre is being developed and used. It is busy and you can tell that by the car parks.”
The business owner stands firm that if you are to succeed on the high street, you need to create an experience – and she is confident that Vintage Guru has successfully done that.
“You’ve got to give people a reason to come to the shop,” she said. “People love our music, quirky stock and friendly atmosphere. Lots of regulars have become good friends.
“Being on the high street, some people visit weekly and they notice what’s new. Our stock is changing all the time and people know they can find pretty much anything here.”
Another thing that Vintage Guru is often praised for is its “localness” and the support it offers to the roughly 80 small and independent businesses it currently houses.
Julie said: “We are a hub for many other traders and people understand they are supporting lots of small businesses by visiting us.”
The founder’s proudest achievements of the past seven years are the number of awards the business has to its name – and the feeling of knowing people are opening gifts from Vintage Guru on Christmas morning.
Vintage Guru was named the best shop in the county at the Northants Life Awards for four consecutive years, and has also been commended for its window displays, among many other accolades.
On the flip side, the biggest challenge that Vintage Guru has had to overcome was the pandemic, which Julie described as a “real shock” after just over a year in business.
“We had to navigate our way through it and it taught us a lot,” said Julie. “We’ve also had to deal with elements of change in the town centre and building works going on.
“People come to the town for the shops and businesses they love, and there are still people finding us for the first time. We set out to create a shop that’s different and a fun experience. That has never been a challenge.”
Julie was asked what she believes has contributed to Vintage Guru’s long-standing success in Northampton town centre, when others have fallen at obstacles along the way.
“We’ve never tried to be anything other than what we are,” she said. “We’re honest and give a good experience to customers, but also our traders. It’s very important to give them a really good service.
“We juggle between our customers, traders and team, who are absolutely amazing. We get through difficult times by knuckling down and pitching in. Everybody really feels a part of what we do.”
Looking to the future of Vintage Guru, Julie wants to increase its personalised service by inviting people to learn how to wear vintage clothing with confidence through in-store sessions.
The business will also be more involved with external fairs and markets, as well as expanding the variety of interesting traders available to shop in St Giles’ Street.