78 Sharpen up! Sarah Holmes, owner of Pencil Me In & Seasgair Store chats to Craft Focus about their crafty offerings! Tell us a bit about your shops! When did it open and by who? I’m Sarah Holmes, a passionate shopkeeper who also loves to shop. Pencil Me In opened in November 2014 (10 years ago) in Salford Manchester, I was looking to create an out from my banking career and was running the shop as a side hustle to my full time job. It was an excellent stepping stone into the world of retail, building the relationships with customers and suppliers. We relocated to Moray in northeast Scotland in Spring 2016 and opened in June 2016 on Batchen Steet in Elgin - this time I was going full time into retail. The shop was much bigger but the traditional double fronted premises won me over. We were surrounded by empty units but I hoped I could create a destination and more shops and businesses would follow – luckily this worked and we’re the go-to place for shops and cafes in the area. Pencil Me In was created from my love of stationery and finding the perfect greeting card. The more I got into the industry the more I loved it. I love the connection with my customers, many who have become friends, one even became a member of the team too. The designers and illustrators we work with in our suppliers are the best bunch, many too have become friends and we try to catch up over dinner during trade shows. Attending all the shows evidenced to me what other business gaps there were in Elgin and in April 2023 I opened Seasgair Store, a home & gift shop which is two doors up from Pencil Me In. Tell us a bit about your location! My biggest challenge! Not a lot of people know where Moray is - never mind Elgin. My best description is in the middle between Inverness and Aberdeen. But truly where we are is one of Scotland’s best secrets – the beaches here are beautiful, we have all of the whisky, lots of great food and the people are wonderful. Elgin is the main capital but still a town with a population of 30,000. The shop itself is on a semi pedestrianised street but filled with independent shops and cafes and makes for a great mooch. Having a postcode location linked to Inverness means we often pay more for deliveries here, and also have to wait longer for deliveries with no next day service. It can be frustrating in a lot of ways, and there are some suppliers who are just completely off limits for us due to delivery charges. How has business been over the last 12 months? At Pencil Me In, our retail is a wee bit down in turnover and versus the rising costs in some areas that feels like more, but I’ve changed up some things in cash
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