Hello, I’m Sophie, founder of Petimo Greeting Cards and co-owner of More Than Just a Gift at Narborough Hall, an independent gift and card shop I’ve helped build and grow over more than 30 years.

Alongside running the shop day to day, I’ve spent years developing real-world campaigns, systems and ideas designed to help independent retail businesses not just survive, but genuinely thrive in an increasingly challenging retail landscape.

Smart Shopkeepers Club grew naturally from that experience.

Everything I share through Smart Shopkeepers Club comes from standing behind my own shop counter for more than 30 years, not from a corporate boardroom or a textbook.

This isn’t about telling independent retailers to copy multinational chains without the benefit of their million-pound budgets, giant teams or head offices. It’s about finding smarter, more human ways to thrive as an indie in the real world, with all the challenges that brings.

The ideas, campaigns and strategies I share have been tested in a real independent shop, serving real customers, in a rapidly changing retail landscape that seems to get tougher every year.

But despite all of that, I still believe independent shops matter deeply. I believe they still have unique strengths, powerful advantages and an important future ahead of them.

Smart Shopkeepers Club is about exploring that future together, sharing ideas, building confidence and helping more independent shops not just survive, but genuinely flourish without burning out.

The project has already been featured in industry media including Progressive Greetings, PG Buzz, Progressive Gifts & Home and BBC Radio. 

Smart Shopkeepers Club is still evolving, much like independent retail itself, but at its heart is a simple idea: thoughtful, experience-led support for people doing one of the hardest and most underestimated jobs there is - shopkeeping. 

Fancy joining us?

Running an independent shop is rewarding, but it’s not easy. After 30 years in running my own retail shop, I’ve learnt the hard way what works (and what doesn’t). That’s why I created Smart Shopkeepers Club, a space where shopkeepers can get practical, relevant advice that actually makes a difference. Not a hundred more things to put on the to-do list (because indie retailers don’t need even more to do)! I’m all about workable, sensible real-world strategies that actually makes a difference to sales. Maybe it’s time to hear from someone who actually runs a shop every single day, just like you.