So how does having Scoff Paper cards in John Lewis make me feel?
Well… Let me take you back to 2020, we’d come up with this crazy idea for a business and I rang a local pet shop and pitched the idea of edible cards for dogs to them.
I fully expected to get laughed at and have the phone slammed down on me right there and then.
What actually happened was, I was laughed at, but then I was asked come in and show them what I was going on about!
I kid you not, I was up all night worrying about this meeting.
In a little side note, cash was really tight for us and Matthew ended up waiting in the car outside, just because we couldn’t really afford the rather expensive parking.
So, I went for this meeting and I was fully ready to embrace my guaranteed rejection.
I was somewhat surprised when this very busy little pet shop in Wigan told me that they loved the idea that they’d like to buy a bulk order of 48 cards!
Obviously, I was full on ecstatic.
So, I walked out of the shop and headed over to Matthew who had driven around the block about 40 times, just to avoid parking in one spot for too long.
My heart was bursting with happiness, but just like any decent person would do, I put on a sad face and walked over to him, just to get him thinking I’d just been laughed out of the shop.
I then got in the car and asked if he wanted the good or the bad news…
He went for the good, the good – “Well, the good news is, they actually liked it.
“But the bad news is, they want to order 48 cards for Friday!”
We both then burst into happy giddiness – which must’ve looked a bit odd to passers by.
I know, I know, you’re wondering why this is ‘bad news’
Well, in those days, we had to commandeer the entire kitchen at home to make six cards and 48 cards would take us about a week to make!
Anyway, we both worked through the night and whilst still managing the guide dogs and the school runs, we got the order done and we were up and running.
Now, knowing what you now know, can you honestly imagine what it feels like for us to go to one of the biggest retail spaces in the UK (the Trafford Centre) and see Scoff Paper cards on the shelves in none other than John Lewis?
Well, I’ll tell you this, I was nervous then and I’m nervous as hell now.
Our crazy little business that has been laughed at by everyone along the way and is now stocked on the flippin’ shelves of John Lewis.
(We’re still okay with people laughing at our cards by the way, that’s kind of the whole point of them.)
Believe it or not, when we set out, our wildest dream was to have our cards stocked in local pet shops.
And now all this!
It’s so hard to comprehend and I’m so proud of what we’ve done.
With the company’s help we worked in partnership to create a card that you can only get from John Lewis stores, and we all think it looks amazing.
You can see this card in all John Lewis stores across the UK.
Thanks so much,
Gemma x
We saw you on Dragon’s Den and loved the idea of a potato based edible card and we were bowled over by you and your story. We will be buying our two dachshund birthday cards soon and other cards beyond!
Well done to you!
Best wishes
Karen, Tilly and Dolly xx
Leave a comment