Value Added Partner Spotlight

This month, the County Business Clubs Sussex Value Added Partner spotlight falls on Emma Draper, of Velvet in Hove.

Tell us about the Velvet Stores Limited story.

My story is about resilience, staying power and sheer determination. But it is also a tale of how to find the utmost pleasure from the most important things in life; a business built with passion and dedication, the joy of family life even during the hardest times, and staying true to your own beliefs, goals and never losing sight of the road ahead.

My primary business is Velvet – a large two-floor, award-winning independent retail store in the heart of Hove. We sell a fantastic range of women’s fashion, delightful and affordable homeware and gifts.  We really are a destination store for many of our customers, some of them travelling across the country to visit us. I started Velvet in the year 2000, after a move to the South Coast. 

The secret of our success at Velvet isn’t anything magical, just adhering to our principals and empowering our colleagues to achieve greater things every day. We have a fabulous team of eighteen women, including a management team of five. The most important aspect of what we do is remembering that we are a customer-facing business and we would be nothing at all without them. All of our team are laser focussed on ensuring our standards and service are delivered to the highest degree. We always strive to go one step further to make our customers feel valued and welcome and that is our guiding principle.

What has been your biggest business challenge to date?

After many ups and downs, including recessions, those dreaded lockdowns, illness and many other challenges, we enjoyed our busiest ever year in 2022/23. I am lucky enough to have three fabulous teenage boys. So I would say, being a single mum, it has been extremely challenging to balance the demands of motherhood with the pressures of running a successful high street business, but I have come through it stronger than ever and even more determined to push on and achieve greater things.

What has been your greatest or proudest business achievement to date?

Winning The Dynamic Business Woman of the Year Surrey and Sussex 2023 against some incredible competition – I was absolutely thrilled!

What type of clients do you currently work with and who are you looking to meet?

We are lucky enough to have an enormous customer base, but the marketing team and I are always working on growing this. For myself, it’s been great to meet other business people this year to discuss issues and ideas with, and also be inspired by.

Tell us a story/fact about yourself that people might not know.

Velvet has always been my overriding passion in my business life but, as we have grown our profit base, I have looked around for a way to invest and now have a burgeoning property portfolio of local, high-end flats, plus I have invested in some other local startups and SMEs. My businesses give me great joy and satisfaction. I am also now looking to expand my horizons and hopefully offer my knowledge and experience to others in business, start ups  and students by speaking at events and imbue them with the confidence and courage to pursue their own goals and dreams.