On Sunday 20th July we enjoyed our second annual team BBQ on the beach! It was a huge success and, like our Christmas Parties, will definately be a long running fixture in the Velvet Calender.
The Velvet team as well as being colleagues are also great friends which means not only do we enjoy regular social outtings together but you will notice when you visit us that the shop floors have a lovely, relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
We were lucky enough to escape the recent rain and were treated to blue skies, glorious sunshine and delicious food for veggies and meat-eaters alike!
Feel free to have a nose through our photos below! (click on thumbnails for larger versions)
Velvet were delighted to reach the final six for the whole of the South in the British Small Business Champions Awards.
Carol Undy, Head of Judging BSBC 2008 said: “BSBC always attracts a large number of very high calibre entries and this year has been no exception. The judges deliberated long and hard, following the interviews, to select the area finalists and then those which would be named as the Area Champions 2008.”
To celebrate the opening of their fourth store, Velvet hosted a fabulous Launch Party at their flagship lifestyle and interiors showroom located at 66-68 Church Road. Champagne was served all night by the beautiful Velvet Team and guests indulged in a selection of bagels and specially themed purple and gold fairy cakes kindly provided by local independent businesses – Bagelman and Angel Cake Bakery.
Guests included local press and journalists, interior designers, local businesses, friends and family.
On Tuesday 15th July we were visited by the lovely Honor Wilson from Radio Four’s The World Tonight programme.
She interviewed one of our Co-Directors Emma Harrop about the continued and growing success of our business during this time of ‘crisis’.
You can listen to The World Tonight programme here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/news/worldtonight/
ITV Reporter Aisling McVeigh visited the North Laine for a shopping spree that was featured on My Street on 8th July.This great piece of coverage featured a whole host of shops from the North Laine including our very own Velvet Gift store on Bond Street.
The clip is still on the ITV web site but may not stay there for long so take a look asap.
http://www.itvlocal.com/meridian/news/?player=MER_News_15&void=209921
On Thursday 3rd July, to celebrate the opening of our fourth store, we hosted a fabulous Launch Party at our flagship lifestyle and interiors showroom located at 66-68 Church Road. Champagne was served all night by our beautiful Velvet Team and guests indulged in a selection of bagels and specially themed purple and gold fairy cakes kindly provided by local independent businesses – Bagelman and Angel Cake Bakery.
Guests included local press and journalists, interior designers, local businesses and our friends and family!
Take a look at some of the photos from the night!
(click on the thumbnail to see larger versions)
Take a peek at our Directors home, full of beautiful Velvet products!
Velvet are delighted to tell you that for the second year running we have won the very prestigious ‘Best Independent Retailer’ at the 2008 Brighton and Hove Business Awards.
“We are delighted to have won this award for the second year running!! Since the awards last year we have launched our online store www.velvetstore.co.uk and of course opened our flagship store on Church Road, Hove. Both have been a tremendous success and our great team deserve to be recognised for all the work they have put into Velvet!” says Co-Director Emma Harrop.
Designed to raise awareness and celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of our growing 21st century City, the BAHBAs acknowledge and celebrate those companies, organisations and individuals who really build the Brighton brand. Velvet’s extensive range of furniture, home interiors, lighting, gifts, clothes and accessories are always beautifully displayed in their bright and welcoming shops, with window displays that stop people in their tracks. This, along with their excellent reputation for customer care assured Velvet their well deserved Award. Velvet were selected over hundreds of local entrants and the competition this year was really tough!
“A Huge Thank You to all our wonderful customers for your support over the past 8 years! We couldn’t have done it without you!”
Brighton success story Velvet is opening their fourth store; a new furniture and home accessories showroom on Church Road, Hove in the old Gamleys Toy shop. The new store will be open mid June.
Velvet, Brighton and Hove Independent Retailer of the Year 2007, are so excited about the new store, Emma Harrop Co-Director “The old Gamleys shop is one of the best sized stores in Hove, so we jumped at this opportunity to show the huge range of furniture we sell from our website. Existing customers have been asking us to open a furniture store in Hove for ages, so we are planning not to disappoint.”
Velvet with 2 existing stores in Brighton and a clothing and gift store in Hove are already renowned for their extensive range of furniture, lighting, mirrors and accessories for the home – all at very accessible prices. Velvet has built up this loyal following of customers by continually offering a high standard of customer care, with the friendly and experienced team spending a great deal of time with customers on the shop floor, and behind the scenes – regularly going out of their way to search through the 15,000 products they offer to find exactly what the customer wants.
At the new shop you will find everything you would expect from a lifestyle boutique as diverse as Velvet – Scented hearts and Door Knobs (from £3.50), Glass and Acrylic Chandeliers (from £49), Venetian and French style Dressing Tables (from £125), Retro and Designer replica chairs (from £95), King-size beds (from £349) and huge French Armoires (£695). You will also find a stunning new collection of furniture, lighting and mirrors, and a brand new range of beautiful wallpaper and home accessories.
You will find this wonderful new Velvet store at 66-68 Church Street, Hove, BN3 3FP
Brighton Lifestyle retailer Velvet which has 3 Stores in Brighton and Hove has been nominated – above hundreds of national companies – for not one, but three ‘Greats’ Gift Retailer Awards.
Emma Harrop, Co-director of Velvet, said: “We are delighted to be nominated for such prestigious awards within our industry, especially after winning our ‘Best Independent Retailer’ 2007 award in the Brighton and Hove Business Awards last September. We have a great team of 25 who deserve to be recognised for their commitment to retail and Velvet.” Velvet have reached the finals for Independent Retailer of the Year (South and South East), Best Retail Display and Retail Employee of the Year for their Area Manager and Buyer, Karen Giles, who now – along with the rest of the team – has a tense wait until May 22nd, when the winners will be announced at a glamorous awards ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
Launched by Progressive Gifts & Home magazine in 2003, the ‘Greats’ Gift Retailer Awards recognise the phenomenal contribution that retailers, both large and small, make to the success of the gift industry. Now in their sixth year, The Greats are established as the premier awards event of the year, bringing together the entire industry for a night of celebration.
Velvet’s extensive range of furniture, home interiors, lighting, gifts, clothes and accessories are always beautifully displayed in their bright and welcoming shops, with window displays that stop people in their tracks. This, along with their excellent reputation for customer care (the friendly and experienced team regularly goes out of their way to find exactly what the customer wants) has assured Velvet their well deserved place in the finals of the prestigious ‘Greats’ Gift Retailer Awards. Velvet Stores Ltd – which was set up in Brighton nearly 8 years ago by Emma and Nick Harrop and Iris Draper (Emma’s Mum) – started with gifts and accessories and over the years has expanded to 3 shops in Brighton and Hove. There is an amazing new furniture showroom in the pipeline for 2008.
We are very excited to announce that for the photoshoot and launch of Kylie Minogues new Home Furnishings Line, several beds from Velvet were featured.
Versailles Upholstered Button bed £1495
White Rattan Bed £950
Cream French Style Bed £950
Moulin Noir Carved Bed £995
Kylie herself attended the launch to proudly present “Kylie at Home” – her new collection of home couture for bedroom and living interiors. Two very lucky members of staff were able to attend the event. You can read more about the actual night on our blog page!
So for a touch of Kylie glamour in your home, take a look through our gorgeous collection of beds available to order. Please feel free to contact us for any further information.
0845 5195 813 
