“We try to offer something for everyone”

Maybugs is an award-winning, independent giftware business which boasts three stores across East Sussex and has just opened its fourth one here in Tunbridge Wells. Eileen Leahy meets its founders Greg Rose and John Dale at their new Chapel Place premises to discover more about what makes Maybugs such a unique retail offering…

The British High Street has had to face myriad challenges over the past decade or so – with Covid, extortionate rates and cheap online competition being the most destructive. As a result, there has been a seismic shift in how it looks with many independent shops being forced to close.

But there is one new local retailer which appears to be rewriting the narrative thanks to its special ethos and innovative approach to doing business. 

I’m talking about Maybugs which has just opened in Chapel Place and has already proved to be a very welcome addition to this picturesque part of Tunbridge Wells.

On entering the premises in order to meet Maybugs’ founders Greg Rose and John Dale, I squeeze past two women who are giggling  loudly at one particular humorous birthday card they have spotted in the shop’s vast selection. Elsewhere in the bijou boutique there’s a mother and her daughter who are cooing at the glittering Christmas tree-shaped lamps on display, while a couple are deciding whether they should go for a packet of Gin and Tonic gourmet Joe & Sephsw popcorn or a pot of Bloody Mary relish for a gourmet friend. So, if you’re still on the hunt for Christmas gifts this is definitely the place to come…

“We try to offer something for everyone,” says Greg, Maybugs’ Managing Director as we shake hands and edge by a customer who is browsing an exquisite selection of Carrie Elspeth handmade jewellery. 

Greg, who set up the business with his partner John back in 2018 and named it after the infamous scarab beetle, tells me that they had been looking for the right location in Tunbridge Wells for the last two years and are delighted with what biding their time has afforded them.

“We only opened last month but we are so happy to be here,” smiles John who is Maybugs’ Sales Director. “Everyone has been so welcoming and we’ve even had customers from our other shops coming up to Tunbridge Wells to visit us. We’ve always had Tunbridge Wells in our sights. We regularly shop and socialise in the town, and we know the locals are going to love what we have to offer, as what we do is very different to any other retailer in the town.”

To think the couple, who live in Crowborough, has achieved four shops and a thriving online business in just six years is nothing short of phenomenal – especially when you take into account a pandemic-shaped curve ball was thrown into the mix. 

“We launched our first shop in Hailsham in 2018 and when Covid hit we had to pivot, so I built a website,” explains Greg before adding in the same breath that he had never done anything like that before.

But what he lacked in technical expertise back then, he has more than made up for in knowing what his customers want, thanks to his life-long career in retail.

“I have worked in the sector for years so I knew we had to be different to all the other gift shops out there.”

Having worked for the likes of Selfridges, Robert Dyas and Matalan, Greg certainly knows the industry inside out. So what made him want to launch a business of his own with John?

“We were sitting outside in our garden and chatting and eventually the conversation turned to whether we wanted to work for other people. We were both very successful in our careers but felt there was something else we could do together.”

Greg says that over the next few months, the conversation continued and the idea of launching a unique gift shop was born. 

“We knew we wanted a combination of some of the biggest giftware brands such as Emma Bridgewater, Wrendale Designs and Alex Clark, as they would drive the footfall but we also wanted to work with local artisans who were making unique pieces. 

“You couldn’t sell just those types of products because in reality they are more expensive to retail, and you wouldn’t sell enough of them to make it a successful business. So, by having them side by side with our hand-picked heritage brands, the majority of which are British, is our USP.

“Most gift shop chains or garden centres wouldn’t waste their time with local independent makers as they are ultimately not going to make them money, but we enjoy this element of our business as we get to mentor many of our chosen small brands and help them navigate the often complex world of retail. A lot of the time we have to guide them with certain things such as barcodes and safety certificates.”

John adds that a good example of this is a company called The Bourne Candle, which is run by two guys from Eastbourne who make the candles in their kitchen. 

“We have helped them achieve all the standards they need which includes things like fire regulations, and the correct labelling in order to be sold in shops. It’s fine if you are selling on a little craft stall but not in a shop environment. We aim to help springboard those types of businesses.”

After opening the Hailsham store, the next Maybugs opened in Eastbourne in 2021, with another in Bexhill coming along in 2022. So, how do Greg and John pick each location?

“The first question is always is there a really good gift shop in the area,” says Greg. “But we also do extensive research by visiting the towns.”

Once up and running, the partners’ commitment to each shop means they are visible in every location at least once or twice a week. And they tell me that customers really like this.

“They love it when we are in store as they can have a chat with us,” reveals John, who worked in customer services for Post Office Counters for nearly three decades.

 “People just love touching and looking at things and having a conversation – which of course you just don’t get with online shopping. We truly believe that a shop like ours is a valuable addition to the High Street.” It’s no wonder the business’ tagline is ‘Beautiful things for fabulous people’.

Another key element to Maybugs’ success is the clever vision of selling and supporting a combination of established, UK and fledgling brands.

“In our Eastbourne store we actually have an artisan market located on the first floor,” says Greg. “Originally we were using it for keeping our stock but we thought ‘what can we do with it?’ So we opened it up and invited people who make their own products to come and have a pitch. It’s open five days a week and is completely free because we don’t charge people to come along. There’s everything you can think of there – from paintings and knitted toys to cards, candles and jewellery.”

“At the moment we’ve got about 25 permanent stalls up there,” adds  Greg. “Some people come for two weeks, others for two months. It fits perfectly with our ethos of what we do – and how we aim to help others. The artisan market won us The High Street Hero award at the Small Awards, sponsored by Business Britain and also the Retailer Initiative at The Greats awards earlier this year.” It is the third year in a row that Maybugs have won at this particular event.

In addition to the success of the shops, each of which sells different products and has its own character, the website that Greg built during lockdown has gone from strength to strength. It now has its own dedicated web team who are based in Hailsham and does around 500 orders a week. 

It’s clear then that whatever Maybugs turns its hand to turns out to be hugely successful. Why do Greg and John think that is? 

“We are a gift shop, both online and on the High Street, where you can buy unique products for almost anybody. It could be a work colleague, or an auntie who lives abroad that you rarely see. We have items that you just don’t find everywhere else. It’s quite hard to source what we sell anywhere else as we ensure that we have a really well-curated collection and work very closely with our suppliers,” explains Greg.

“What’s great about what we do is we can change things very easily – there is no six-month waiting list which is what you’d typically find with retailers. We also notice and care about your purchases. We have great relationships with our suppliers and can change stock and react to things really quickly. And we never want that to change. For example, we work closely with Five Dollar Shake, who are based in Hastings, and have a huge selection of cards including bespoke ones, so if someone wants to mention Tunbridge Wells or a loved one on a greeting card they can.” 

There are always offers running in store such as the 10% off next purchase and a special gift if you spend £30 or more. What better incentive to get you through the door and have a good look around this treasure trove of really fascinating finds which range from signs saying ‘I live in the posh part of Tunbridge Wells’ to beautifully illustrated children’s books to help them through a bereavement. It really is a very diverse collection but one that’s been thought of with palpable passion. Another thing to note is that Greg and John are not running Maybugs purely for profit – a refreshing change to how retail businesses are traditionally perceived. Instead they want to give back in each of the towns they have shops in.

“Community is everything to us,” states John. “We already champion initiatives in our other towns, supporting a number of events and charities in Hailsham, Eastbourne and Bexhill, and now we are looking to do the same here in Tunbridge Wells too.

“We obviously can’t support everything but we do want people to get in touch if they think we can help.”

Greg goes on to say they have already donated to a number of Christmas raffles since they opened in Tunbridge Wells, but what they would like to do is find one community-based project they can support. In Eastbourne it was Pride, in Hailsham the pair sponsored the girls’ hockey team while in Bexhill they do a charity calendar every year for children with life-limiting conditions. But the benevolence doesn’t stop there as Greg and John also work closely with a number of local MPs in East Sussex on their charitable projects.

“For Tunbridge Wells we want to find the right project that fits with us and enables us to say to people ‘if you shop with us then some of that profit is going to be invested back into the local community’. We’re not just here for a couple of years – we have signed a ten-year lease on the Chapel Place shop so that shows we are committed,” states Greg.  “For Maybugs to be expanding out of our Sussex base into Kent is a huge milestone for us, and a sign of our ambitious opening programme to expand the Maybugs brand and ethos over the next few years.”

And with that our time is up. It’s been a really great morning chatting to both Greg and John and learning all about Maybugs. We wish them every success with their venture – Tunbridge Wells is most definitely a richer place for having their beautiful boutique in it.

Maybugs Tunbridge Wells
Address: 3 Chapel Place,
Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1YQ

Tel: 01892 356 070  

Email: tunbridgewells@maybugs.co.uk
Website: www.maybugs.co.uk
Instagram & Facebook: @maybugsshop