Store of the Month September 2022: Lavendel Borgholms Modehus

Lavendel Borgholms Modehus is located in Borgholm on Öland and has been named Store of the Month by us at Stockholm Fashion District. Below you can read an interview with the store owner Jeanette where she, among other things, tells us about what she considers to be the store’s greatest asset and challenge, and what customers appreciate most after a visit in the store.

Tell us about Lavendel Borgholms Modehus, how did it all start?
It all started when we moved with three small children to Borgholm in 1996 and I needed a job. I am a trained goldsmith, but those jobs were scarce in Borgholm. I started working at Berns Modehus in the summer of 1998, which was then owned by Karl Bern. In 2003 I received an offer to buy the store, which I did and in 2023 we will celebrate 20 years!

What type of products do you offer?
We sell women’s clothing, swimwear, shoes, and accessories.

What is the absolute best thing about running a store?
The best thing is that you can control your assortment, it is always fun to form a “new” store before each new season. Of course, also the meeting with the customer. What drives me forward is the challenge, that’s what’s most exciting.

What strategy do you have when it comes to the range you buy?
The strategy is to bring in a new, younger customer, but at the same time keep the loyal regular customer. We always try to stay up to date when it comes to fashion and trends.

What would you say your customers appreciate most when they visit you?
We are good at personal treatment, we often keep track of what our customers have bought before and so on. We notice how that kind of thing gets spread by the customers.

The issue of sustainability is high on the agenda in these times, how is it in your industry and how do you work with sustainability?
This is a very good and difficult question, I wish we could do more than sort our packaging. Hard to know what we who are so small can do. 

Which would you say is your biggest asset? And what would you say is your biggest challenge?
Our biggest asset is that we are strategically located in a place where the tourism industry is good, all year round as it looks right now. Borgholm is a small and cosy place that you like to see as a nice destination on the weekend. We work with recognition and “personal service”. The challenge is that we are a bit “off” in autumn and winter, but as I said, many are happy to take a trip here on the weekend.

What is your best tip for inspiring the customer?
We inspire the customer via Instagram and by often signposting and changing the way the products hang in the store. We also like to have the news on us when we work in the store.

What do you think is the biggest driving force the customer has to want to come and shop in a physical store instead of online?
As it has become today, many have worked and sat at home. The customer is probably tired of doing everything at a computer and you want inspiration and to be able to touch and feel the products. And there has been a lot of talk about benefiting the small shop and the local retailer, which has probably contributed a lot.