How long has Mooch etc been open and how did the business come about?
After spending well over 20 years as a specialist nurse in oral surgery Ruth wanted a change from dressing up in scrubs everyday, plus she also wanted to do something which involved the artistic side of her personality.
Did you have a particular aim when opening your own boutique?
Our aim is to retail products where design and quality are all important. We also try to make sure that the products we sell are not found on the shelves of multiple retailers or any other shops in our area. This means that we're giving our customers genuine choice which many of them clearly appreciate as we're fortunate that many of them return time and time again.
You are based in Carmarthen, tell us about life in the oldest town in Wales.
The shop is on, what the historians tell us, the line of an old Roman road where shops have existed for over 1000 years. We're also told that King Street is the oldest continually used shopping street in Europe. It would not have had that history if retailers had not continually evolved and brought products that looked to the future. We see ourselves as the current generation responsible for continuing that role.
There are so many amazing designers out there, how do you choose who to stock in your shop?
Choosing stock is by far the most interesting aspect of our business. Fortunately there are a great number of exceptional designers in the UK as well as elsewhere in Europe.
We take a great deal of time to find designs that are both innovative and of a quality that stands out from the usual. Often, young designers, such as Maria Allen, are the ones who produce something with an edge and we are of course also lucky that many of them have trained here in the University in Carmarthen.
You must stock so many beautiful things that you want to keep for yourself, what's on the top of your Christmas list this year?
That's a hard one. Our problem is stopping ourselves filling the house with stock from the shop! For Christmas this year our dog Brenin will be even more handsome (not that that's possible!) in his new hand made collar from Ark in Cambridge. David's got his eye on the bespoke Welsh dragon cufflinks by Maria Allen. For Ruth it has to be a super soft stripy scarf from one of our local designer/ makers Sian O'Doherty. Most of all we're looking forward to a few days off, with plenty of walks on the beach & relaxing.
Did you have a particular aim when opening your own boutique?
Our aim is to retail products where design and quality are all important. We also try to make sure that the products we sell are not found on the shelves of multiple retailers or any other shops in our area. This means that we're giving our customers genuine choice which many of them clearly appreciate as we're fortunate that many of them return time and time again.
You are based in Carmarthen, tell us about life in the oldest town in Wales.
The shop is on, what the historians tell us, the line of an old Roman road where shops have existed for over 1000 years. We're also told that King Street is the oldest continually used shopping street in Europe. It would not have had that history if retailers had not continually evolved and brought products that looked to the future. We see ourselves as the current generation responsible for continuing that role.
There are so many amazing designers out there, how do you choose who to stock in your shop?
Choosing stock is by far the most interesting aspect of our business. Fortunately there are a great number of exceptional designers in the UK as well as elsewhere in Europe.
We take a great deal of time to find designs that are both innovative and of a quality that stands out from the usual. Often, young designers, such as Maria Allen, are the ones who produce something with an edge and we are of course also lucky that many of them have trained here in the University in Carmarthen.
You must stock so many beautiful things that you want to keep for yourself, what's on the top of your Christmas list this year?
That's a hard one. Our problem is stopping ourselves filling the house with stock from the shop! For Christmas this year our dog Brenin will be even more handsome (not that that's possible!) in his new hand made collar from Ark in Cambridge. David's got his eye on the bespoke Welsh dragon cufflinks by Maria Allen. For Ruth it has to be a super soft stripy scarf from one of our local designer/ makers Sian O'Doherty. Most of all we're looking forward to a few days off, with plenty of walks on the beach & relaxing.
Mooch Etc is located at 13 King St, Carmarthen SA31 1BH and can be contacted on 01267 237359 or by email to info@moochetc.co.uk