Independent stationery retailer with shops in Leominster and Ludlow reflects on 35 years in business.
Ann Jopson opened Roundabout Stationery in 1989 in Broad Street on Leominster after being encouraged by her mother, Diane, who was a printer by trade. Ann had just finished art college, “so she thought, let’s give it a go,” manager of Roundabout Stationery, Dawn Railean explains.
“Ann and Diane found a little shop for rent on Broad Street in Leominster – a thriving and popular street – so decided that was the one for her. It was the cutest little shop with bay windows and wooden floors,” Dawn recalls.
As business grew, a further shop was opened opposite the original one in 1996, selling mainly office supplies in bulk. “Ludlow was opened in the same year and the business continued to grow,” says Dawn.
“We moved the Leominster shop to a larger premises in 2001 and stayed there until 2015 when we moved back to Broad Street, but in a larger shop,” says Dawn.
The biggest challenge for the business has been the ever-changing ways that people shop. “People got used to shopping online during Covid times and then continued after Covid because of the ease of ordering something at 11pm that you get delivered to your door the very next day,” says Dawn.
The business has had to adapt to survive and has changed from a commercial supplier to mainly retail nowadays. “Our best seller years ago was paper hands down,” says Dawn. “Back to school was also massive for us, now we are still busy with it just not as crazy as it used to be. We sell an awful lot more gifts and art supplies than we ever have done.
“Looking forward we are excited as a business to still be here and carry on serving our customers with a daily smile and a chat, without them we wouldn’t have made it this far. We are always excited to go to a show and find a new supplier or get some new stock lines in, it’s like Christmas every day. We have some absolutely lovely suppliers that support us and always bring out new and interesting stock lines to keep the shops looking fully stocked and fresh.”
To celebrate the 35th anniversary, the team have bene running a quiz on the socials with prizes to be won, an in-store treasure hunt and cake and chocolates on the counter (when the staff don’t eat them!).
