Store of the month June 2024: Karl-Oskar & Kristina

This month we go south to Blekinge and to the store Karl-Oskar & Kristina. They have told us about their history that stretches over three decades with a mother and daughter duo as founders. They have created a store that is a must-visit if you are heading to Karlshamn. 

How did the store start?

My mum and I opened the shop 31 years ago, first we had a small room of 75 square metres, with both women’s and men’s clothes. After a couple of years, we felt that we were a bit short of space and therefore chose to move up to a location at the square in Karlshamn. We stayed there until 2008 when we again felt squeezed and moved to the place we have today.

Since I was little, my biggest dream has been to start my own store as my mum and dad have always been active in that industry. Clothes and fashion have always been a passion of mine, so it felt natural to go down that career. One of the great things about this industry is that it is varied and there are always new things happening, which is so much fun.

Tell us about your strategy for selecting products for your range? 

When it comes to our selection, I want the customer to feel that we always have something for everyone. We therefore try to choose our suppliers with care, and choose the brands that we think fit best with us. Of course, we want to keep up with all the trends but also have clothes that are good in fit, quality and style to capture all styles and ages.

Over the years, I have always tried to put my style on the store and have therefore always thought that Karl-Oskar & Kristina should reflect me and my thinking. Therefore, it has always been important to be quick on trends but also to get several different styles of the same garment, as I have always tried to work a lot in capsules when I make purchases.

What are your top tips for treating customers well? 

My motto has always been that you should treat others as you want to be treated, and that’s something I’ve really tried to work on in the store. I’ve always thought that if you’re happy and positive, you’ll get it back, and it really feels like that’s the case. At Karl-Oskar & Kristina we are a lovely and happy team who are close to laughter and like to joke, which I also think reflects on our customers. So my best tip is to be happy and positive because it always comes back.

What do you think indicates good co-working between store and supplier? 

To create a good collaboration, good relationships are essential. Just as I mentioned before, if you respond positively to something, it will come back, which also applies between store and supplier. For me, it’s also important that the suppliers help the store if needed, which the pandemic really proved worked well.

Good cooperation also means that you can plan well together, so that the right goods arrive at the right time and that you help each other pick out the best goods for the budget you have. It is also important to get to know each other so that the suppliers know what I need and can thus help me get the goods to fit into my store. Finally, it is important to build a relationship that makes you trust each other and thus get a good result.

Are there any extra events you organise for your customers?

Throughout the year we try to organise different events for our customers, our biggest event is our annual Christmas display. On the first day of Advent, we have our annual unveiling of the shop window where we spend a period of time covering and creating a Christmas display based on a theme. It’s an event that many people talk about and that usually draws a lot of people. Every year we have some kind of event outside the store, for example a children’s choir that sings while we cover the windows. A really cosy and Christmassy tradition if you ask us.

We also usually organise customer evenings during the year, where we run offers in the store, offer something to eat, and showcase trends. Sometimes we also run closed customer evenings that a company books, where we show different trends in more detail. This is something all of us in the store enjoy doing. We also have both a webshop and live shopping

Over the years, Karl-Oskar & Kristina has grown and today it is an established store. Additionally, if you are in Karlshamn during week 29, the fantastic Östersjöfestivalen takes place in the city and the whole city comes to life. The store Karl-Oskar & Kristina wants to celebrate this a little extra with great offers in the store during that week. 

Karl-Oskar och Kristina on social media:

Instagram: karloskar_kristina_karlshamn

Facebook: Karl-Oskar & Kristina Karlshamn