Fact or Fiction? - 33

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The story Here

Did you guess?

All TRUE!

One or two of the matches may have been mixed, but the events happened as I reported.

To answer a few of the comments...

I didn't like watching sports on TV - still true to this day - but I DO enjoy participating in them!

Yeah, it was a tough way to grow up - but along the way, it taught me a few lessons on how not to parent. ;)

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For today's story... some of you may know this one, so if you know for sure, please don't let on :)

Years ago, I started my own business from home. I made clothes and then sold them on the market. The items were mainly for women and simple in design, but what set them off as spectacular was the fabric I used.

The 'Batwing' top became my staple item to make.

A local factory printed metallic foil onto fabric and I went in every week (sometimes a few times per week) and bought as much of the reject and off-cut stuff as I could lay my hands on.

That business was hard work - especially up to Christmas when I'd be sewing until 2 and 3 in the morning to replenish stock I'd sold the day before.

I never used a bought pattern, I made my own - even down to the sizing. I had labels printed and sometimes I had to fight my corner when people tried to return items that had been washed not by hand (as the label stated) and the foil had been destroyed.

In 1988 I worked my last Christmas on the market because I was pregnant with @danielles. I sat at home, crocheted a HUGE blanket and got bigger and bigger.

After Dani came along, I had a little time off (haha!) but soon it was time to re-start my business.

I changed course from the markets and I decided to make hair scrunchies. I made a huge lot and took some samples to Nottingham where they have small, independent stalls.

Not quite this old...

Two people in Nottingham wanted to buy the scrunchies on a regular basis and I was delighted.

It served two-fold – I made a little money and it got me out of the house. Of course, I always took Dani with me to deliver the scrunchies and I’d invariably spend the money on her before we got home.

I also sold the scrunchies to a shop in my town. They were part of a chain of stores, but the manager had a little lee-way in which to purchase the scrunchies, so I was fortunate to have found that outlet. Again, I’d spend the money on Danielle in-store.

Then my mind did what it does best – it thought of another avenue to sell.

If I could sell to one store, I could surely sell to a bigger chain. I looked at Woolworths which was still going in England at that time.

I also thought of football (soccer) team colours and my father managed to sell a trial set to Aston Villa FC.

My father took the sample I’d made up in Aston Villa colours and he showed it to the merchandise guy.

The guy put the scrunchie on his wrist and looked at it.

“Brilliant!” he said.

“That’s not what they’re for,” my father said and he explained they were for tying back hair.

“Even better!” the guy said. “We don’t have much merchandising for women.”

I set about buying the relevant colours in a good quality sating and made my first order for Aston Villa.

I sent out a few letters, introducing me and my product.

I followed-up the letters a few days later (bloody scary thing to do!) and I spoke to someone at Aresenal Football Club.

He liked the idea in theory, but said, “Red and white are the colours of a few clubs, Southampton, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, so if you could get our club shield onto them, I’ll buy 400.”

I had my FIRST major order!

That conversation led me to the idea about printing other images onto the scrunchies and I set about looking into buying a licence to print Sonic The Hedgehog on them.

Then I’d have to look at how stores preferred to have their items packaged, so there’d be all that to consider in the costs.

I figured if I bought a licence and sold around 10,000 in the first year, I’d be in profit for the materials and licence.

10,000 scrunchies was certainly achievable and I set about phoning the people I needed to speak to.
I spoke to someone at Woolworths and asked if they’d be interested in buying Sonic The Hedgehog scrunchies.

“Well, if we were interested, we’d buy them from our own suppliers,” the snotty woman said.

“Good luck with that if I’ve got the licence,” I said.

She decided I had a point and went on to tell her how many stores Woolworths had and their minimum order – for each store.

I don’t recall how many stores, or what their minimum order was, but I believe I worked it out that I’d have to make 250,000 scrunchies in less than a year in order to supply their stores.

Too big for me and my little electric sewing machine that I got out of the cupboard when I needed it.

I concentrated on Arsenal’s order and had to find someone that would print for me.

Local label manufacturers didn’t want to know or were too expensive and I finally found a printer who I could go and see.

Malcolm at Acorn Maltone helped my business get off the ground.

I told him what I needed and we worked together to get it done.

That year, Arsenal won the European Cup and a woman with twin scrunchies in her hair was on the national news while the team celebrated their win.

“As seen on TV” – my business went into overdrive.