Stafford and Wilson, which opened on the High Street in the town on Wednesday, August 21, boasts brands like Napapijri, Lyle & Scott, Ma:Strum, and Marshall Artist, and Weekend Offender, as well as some indie brands that are harder to find locally like Terrace Cult & DML.
Selling both men’s designer clothes and women’s fast fashion, the shop has already started pairing with some of the biggest clothing names in the business, as well as unique and smaller brands in the UK.
Enjoying a successful start to life in Stokesley, the owners of the new business, Mike and his husband Ryan, both from Middlesbrough, have reflected on life in Stokesley almost two weeks after opening the shop.
The shop front of Stafford & Wilson (Image: STAFFORD & WILSON)
The store, which is named after the couple’s 14-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Wilson, who they adopted from animal charity Maxi’s Mate, is just one of the personal touches that have made the newest addition to Stokesley’s High Street a popular choice already.
Opening the shop, due to believing that the “high street is not dead”, Mike and Ryan want to give people in Stokesley that personal service to allow people to try clothes on, as well as offering people the opportunity to buy clothes online when the new website launches in the coming weeks.
Mike said: “We opened a couple of weeks ago, and also had a charity event on August 17, which had a catwalk show. It was also here that we announced we’d be selling women’s clothes, which had previously been under wraps. We’ve so far had a 50/50 split of serving men and women.
“We’ve enjoyed a great start to life in Stokesley. Both me and Ryan enjoy fashion, and that’s helped us connect with brands that wouldn’t normally be stocked in small independent shops.
“We have the approach in the shop that we’ll help any customer that needs us but we don’t want to be those shop owners that are constantly pestering the customer. We want people to enjoy the shop leisurely and take their time looking at items.”
This business is Mike and Ryan’s second business, having launched the award-winning digital marketing agency, Duo Digital.
They hope to use skills from this marketing business to run the shop and have already navigated a successful social media marketing push, which caught the attention of MP Rishi Sunak, who visited the shop recently.
After moving into the listed building, the couple had to “jump through hoops” to prepare the shop, which included planning permission for changing the paint and signage, but now say they have got the shop to where they want it.
Moving forward, Mike and Ryan hope to fully integrate themselves into Stokesley by moving there, and continue to welcome customers in the town.
Most read:
Having already met so many fellow business owners and residents in Stokesley, though, the business owners hope to continue the success seen since opening.
Mike added: “Stokesley is an up-and-coming market town and had no designer clothes shops and we listened to the locals who were crying out for a designer clothes shop in the town.
“Stokesley has brilliant for us – it wasn’t on our radar initially – we looked at Yarm, Middlesbrough, Darlington, but after driving through Stokesley and spending time here, we’ve made the right decision.”
Stafford & Wilson can be found online here and on social media here.
