Why We All Need A FMLY Store

Rachael Tuckley - 4 Sep 18

As a family we recently enjoyed a 3 night camping trip just a short drive away from the village of Bruton in Somerset. My intentions were two fold. To enjoy a wild and disconnected holiday with my children, forcing them well and truly off grid and also to make a slightly ‘Selfish’ pilgrimage to The FMLY Store in Bruton.

I have posted before to the Selfish Mother Blog and have followed The FMLY Store on Instagram. I have always been inspired by the type of online accounts that take the concept of the parenting ‘village’ and make that sense of belonging a reality.

The FMLY Store itself is a hub, a meeting place where there are no rules. Our children were accepted even though the giant Lego was scattered everywhere and the felt tip pens ended up on the floor. In reality it is much more than a shop. It is a family living concept and at the heart is the belief that if we pull together it will all be OK.

I’ve never been a very discrete ‘Fan Girl’ and I felt like I had found a new kind of home. There is a sense of belonging that I can’t help but feel should be replicated in towns and villages everywhere. Surrounded by slogan tees and serving lemon drizzle, it is a sanctuary away from the every day. Many of us struggle to find quiet places for quiet moments but for me, The FMLY Store has got it right.

It is not simply a place to buy ‘Good Tees’ and drink coffee, it is the highly successful realisation of a much deeper concept and one that we could all learn a little something from. Where small businesses often fall foul of rising business rates and low turnover due in part to the development of shopping online, The FMLY Store is taking its remit further. Selling is one thing but celebrating and supporting is where its true strength lies.

So why do we all need a FMLY Store?

It’s simple! We need to understand the consumer better by making the retail experience a personal one and to invest closely in the well being of the customer. Retail needs to go further than simply supply and demand. When we feel connected to a brand, we also feel valued and for me The FMLY Store is the culmination of time spent really trying to understand and connect with people.

I would love to open my own kind of FMLY Store, to share the love and spread the word. I might need to start by serving mugs of tea and ‘Swiss Roll’ in my kitchen but the yearning I have to reach out and offer others what The FMLY Store has offered me would be the dream.

We need to see the world as a place where there is refuge, where men and women in business are working to better understand the customer experience, to see that we aren’t just ‘android’ but that we have something to offer them in return.  I spoke recently to a group of women working in the wedding industry about why blogging is an important tool for business. It’s all about honesty and understanding the human condition. It is why I write so that I can connect with and support others.

At the end of the day, it’s about being human and the same should exist in retail. Business needs to be built on trust and as we all know, trust will always begin where there is FMLY.

Rachael Tuckley

A Parenting and Lifestyle Blogger exploring modern living with children. Proving that life can be a lot more fabulous for less. Musings for anyone navigating life as Mum or Dad. HuffPost Blogger.

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