Reliving the Unforgettable Grand Opening of Our Bowness Store!

The new Bowness store has finally opened! Nestled in the heart of Windermere, picture a bustling atmosphere filled with anticipation as Joe Browns enthusiasts from near and far (very far) gathered to witness the grand opening of the Lake District’s newest fashion destination. 

With the air electric with a sense of new vibrancy and the sun beating down on a glorious day, come and relive the grand opening, from the prep, the ribbon cutting ceremony to the thrilled customers exploring racks filled with our stunning summer collection.  

 

 

10th June 2023 

06:00am 

A whole six hours before the store opened, just after sunrise, a family were perched outside the store, patiently waiting for the grand opening. This family – we later discovered – had travelled all the way from Shropshire to experience the grand opening from themselves – now that’s what we call true Joe Browns superfans! 

 

 

10:00am 

Our Senior Marketing Executive, Lizzy, arrived in plenty of time to see the setup of the balloon arch outside and get things prepared instore for all the fun to ensue once the doors fly open. By this time, the sun was beating down on the hottest day of the year so far, more people had attended to gather in the queue, and the first family were still standing strong at the arch. Absolute dedication! 

 

 

10:30am 

Behind the scenes, Deputy Mayor Lisa Greasley was greeted by our Meadowhall Store Manager, Debbie who took her on a private tour instore. After hearing what Deputy Mayor Lisa was after, Debbie was a dab hand at making product recommendations to finding her perfect outfit for the ribbon cutting ceremony.  

Our Marketing Director, Tracey and Social Media Executive, Annamaria, soon arrived instore, armed with 50 goody bags, shortly followed by The Fizzy Tarte, a local café & bar who swiftly began setting up a mocktail bar at the entrance. 

 

 

11:00am 

Inside, our marketing ladies were absolutely floored by how stunning this brand-new store turned out. Boasting a high ceiling on both floors, second floor had a huge three-meter chandelier draping from the ceiling and through a cutout into the floor below, looking magical on a backdrop of inspirational wall displays and bespoke, hand-painted wallpaper. Talk about extravagance!  

Micky Beau, our local performer soon arrived, set up and did a sound check – little did we know just how fabulous it would make the atmosphere for the entire day. He even played an Elton John cover for us before the doors opened. 

 

 

11:30am 

At this point, there atmosphere was alive with excitement as the countdown came closer and closer to the moment of truth. The queue was so large that Annamaria and Tracey ended up handing out all the goody bags then and there!  

Up and down the queue, people had gathered from all over the UK. Some even came down from Edinburgh! Soon, Deputy Mayor Lisa Greasley posed in her brand-new Joe Browns dress for some press shots with Adrian and Jane North and our CEO, Pete. 

 

 

12:00pm – It's time! 

Deputy Mayor Lisa kicked things off by first giving a speech about Joe Browns and our mission to open a further 10 stores before 2025. This went down well, considering the customers in the queue were calling out where they want the next location to be! With that, the ribbon was cut, the doors swung open and the guests could finally flood the store and browse our new summer collection.  

Guests were soon greeted with a glass of prosecco or a mocktail from the Fizzy Tarte, Mickey Beau started playing his first of three sets and ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s were heard all throughout the store as people finally laid eyes on our new summer collection. The Deputy Mayoress herself made the very first purchase of another dress, and customers who made a purchase played a Spin to Win with the chance to win a small prize! 

 

 

13:00 – 17:00pm 

As the day carried on it was all hands on deck. While Pete and Tracey schmoosed and asked for any customer feedback to report back to HQ, Annamaria and Lizzy along with the retail staff replenished from the stock room as best as they could. 

There were queues everywhere, out the door, queues for the changing rooms and the till, Tracey even rolled up her sleeves and did the washing up of all the prosecco glasses to deep the drinks – quite literally – flowing. And it still wasn’t showing any signs of slowing – what a success! 

All of our customers gave the atmosphere a great buzz throughout the entire day, we absolutely couldn’t have done it without them.  

 

 

Something from Adrian and Jane... 

Adrian and Jane North of the store have shared something to mark this glorious occasion... 

“It took six months of detailed planning, preparation and hard work, with many late nights, to arrive at the opening of our Bowness-on-Windermere Joe Browns store on Saturday 10th June.  But it was all made worthwhile by the many wonderful customers we had the pleasure of meeting on the day.  We were thrilled and humbled by the distance that some had travelled to come to our opening.  It was great that people loved the store, and we received lots of complimentary comments.  We believe it is the most exciting fashion store in Cumbria - which really does live up to Joe Browns’ ethos of ‘Be Remarkable’.” 

 

 

Thanks for reliving the grand opening of our Bowness store with us – and why not pop in to visit the gang if you find yourself in the sunny Lake District? 

If you loved this entry, keep your eyes peeled on our blog for behind the scenes action, exclusive content from the stores and drink and food recipes for any upcoming event!