Knutsford Town Council Interview

We had a chat with Suzanne Wild of @verityplum about all things Knutsford & how they are getting on throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both these Minshull Street shops are run by Knutsford born and bred Suzanne Wild. Suzanne loves Knutsford, her parents live here as do both her sons - Redmond and Harrison – the latter is the owner of Oliver Wild. So, this is a real local story as well as making a case for renaming Minshull Street Wild Street! As a younger girl, Suzanne was always clothing mad – customising clothing she bought and adding a twist to each garment. Suzanne originally managed Verity Plum for 10 years – getting to know the client base and building up a relationship with the more exclusive labels. So when the previous owner left, Suzanne jumped at the opportunity to take over. She now employs 4 staff across both shops – 2 from Knutsford and the other 2 from Northwich and Lymm.

If you walked down Minshull Street you’d probably think the shops are not that big. You would be mistaken – they go back a long way, and both are full of carefully selected and presented womenswear.

Verity Plum is a plus size designer shop, specialising in exclusive, European labels. The size range offered range from 16-28. Knitwear, trousers, dresses as well as more casual wear is on offer.

Verity & Violet is a special occasion wear with sizes from 10-28. So, if you are looking for Mother of the Bride, eveningwear, cruise wear, outfits to wear to the races along with hats and fascinators this is the place the place to go.

Exclusivity is key – finding brands that other shops don’t stock so in this digital age, people will choose to visit you rather than go online. Suzanne finds the German and Danish brands are the best sellers – they know how to design and cut clothing perfectly for ladies with curves.

Trading through Lockdowns

Suzanne freely admits trading during pandemic has not been easy. The clothing sector has been particularly hit as basically “none of us are going anywhere”. It has been particularly hard for Verity & Violet as it is ‘event wear’. However, a website Verityplum.online and an active Facebook page has helped with lockdown sales and keeping in touch with customers. People still want to buy and be ready for when the vaccine is rolled out and restrictions are eased.

Suzanne said “Both shops are really special to our customers. They are not just shops to them but ‘meeting places’ where they can chat and take their time choosing that special outfit. We’ve had customers who stay for 6 hours sometimes. We really miss them and can’t wait to re-open”.

Apart from being a Knutsfordian, the main attraction to set up the shops in her hometown was the number of independent businesses in the town. Despite, the identikit nature of many towns, Knutsford still retains many ‘indies’ and that alongside its quirky architecture makes it a lovely place to work. Support from other traders is also a big plus and there is a real community feel in the town which you can’t find elsewhere. Although Suzanne firmly comments parking is a challenge.

Where can you find Verity Plum and Verity and Violet?

Both shops can be found on 6 & 9 Minshull Street, on Facebook and www.verityplum.online

Facebook – @verityplum

Instagram – verityplum_verityandviolet

Call - 01565 755577