This is the first in a regular series of Business Q&A features that we’ll be publishing weekly.
This week, we spoke to Sophie Hartley, the owner of Sophie Likes on Beulah Street, Harrogate.
Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does.
Sophie Likes is a lifestyle shop selling quirky, design-led gifts, homeware, accessories and clothing.
What does it require to be successful in business?
A lot of energy! Every day is different, and you need to be adaptable to keep going through anything that comes your way.
What drives you to do what you do every day?
The shop for me is my happy place. I’m very passionate about the products I sell, and about running my own business. I never don’t want to go in to work.
What has been the toughest problem your company has had to deal with over the last 12 months?
Every year since we opened there’s been a challenge to overcome. Lately, we’ve been renegotiating our lease, which has been a challenge, a) to get the right rent, and b) because there’s been a possibility the landlord might want to use the unit for something else. I don’t want to move, and happily, I think we’re now on the verge of signing a new five-year lease.
Which other local firms do you most admire and why?
I admire any independent local business that has ambition and goes for it – that takes the plunge and goes for it.
I opened my shop in 2014, just after the recession. People weren’t really opening shops on the high street then – they were closing them – but I wanted to open my shop anyway. Sometimes, you just have to do what you want to do.
Who are the most inspiring local leaders?
Sean McPartland is a successful local businessman who built up his Knaresborough-based business, Logic Fire & Security, and merged it with a national firm last year.
I was lucky enough to join Sean on the coast-to-coast cycle ride a few years ago and since then he has taken up many more challenges, including an Arctic to Africa cycle ride and is currently taking part in the Clipper Round the World yacht race.
He’s an all-round inspiring guy who is determined, bold, tenacious, loyal, and great fun too.
What could be done locally to boost business?
I always think we could do with parking charges being reduced. I live near Knaresborough and I always think parking there is so cheap, and then I come through to work in Harrogate and it’s so expensive!
More affordable parking would really help bring more people back into the town centre. During the week, we need to do more to encourage shoppers. I think people want to get back to the high street, and lower parking charges might help them do that.
Also, I think Harrogate needs a bit more promotion. It’s a fantastic place to visit, with great bars, shops and restaurants – we’re very lucky. We get visitors coming into the shop and they often tell us how lovely it is, and that they hadn’t known about it before.
Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate?
Harrogate’s just a great place, isn’t it? I enjoy the flexibility and the variation – every day is different.
The downside is that sometimes things happen that you have no control over, and you have to remind yourself to look at the bigger picture. For example, if you have a quiet day in the shop in January, it’s not the end of the world. You can’t let it get you down – you just have to make the most of it and remember that other days will make up for it in the summer.
Sophie Hartley
What are your business plans for the future?
We feel we’ve ‘survived’ over the last 10 years: covid, the fire on this street a few years ago – every year there’s been something.
Now, we want to thrive, and take the business to the next level. We’re not going to do anything major, like expand, but we’re just going to do what we do, but better.
We want to be a cool place to get a shopping fix – one of Harrogate’s destinations, like Bettys.
What do you like to do on your time off?
I’ve got three young children, so sometimes coming to the shop is time off!
I love festivals and camping, and it’s great to get away for the weekend, perhaps in the Dales.
I also have another business, a deckchair hire company called Decked Out, and that keeps me busy, especially through the summer months, when we supply festivals, weddings and events.
Best place to eat and drink locally?
I love Stuzzi. The food is great, and no matter what night of the week it is, there’s always a great atmosphere.
The Disappearing Chin, next door to Sophie Likes on Beulah Street, is a great bar and does amazing cocktails. I don’t like walking into empty bars, but the Disappearing Chin is always buzzing.
- If you know someone in business in the Harrogate district and you’d like to suggest them for this feature, drop us a line at [email protected].
Read more:
- Three new shops to open on Harrogate’s Beulah Street
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