This interview is with Jay Soni, Founder and CEO at Yorkshire Fabric Shop.

Jay Soni, Founder and CEO, Yorkshire Fabric Shop

Jay, could you please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about your background in the fabric industry?

I'm Jay, and I founded Yorkshire Fabric Shop and Create Fabrics. Both are dedicated to selling high-quality furnishing and upholstery fabrics to both trade professionals and individual customers. We've even had the honor of working with big names like Warner Brothers Studio and the Dorchester Hotels, which has been a fantastic experience. I've spent over 15 years in the textiles and furniture industry, and I've also worked in the digital realm. This mix of experiences has helped me build solid relationships with suppliers all around the globe and craft brands known for their commitment to quality, customer care, and, above all, an obsession with customer satisfaction. Yorkshire Fabric Shop is our direct-to-customer arm, where we offer more than 6,000 different fabrics and provide custom, made-to-measure services. We're based in North West England, and we have a hangar display where customers can come and see the variety and quality of our products in person.

What pivotal moments or decisions led you to where you are today in your career?

If you were to ask me which moment had the biggest impact on where I am today in my career - working for companies that are making textile and furniture products - I would say the most important touchpoint was making the switch from traditional industry jobs to the digital space. Why did I change my career focus? Simply, I felt the digital space was growing and quickly changing the way commerce was done, particularly in these types of industries (yes, textiles and furniture is a niche industry), and the future was taking shape as a digital landscape of business and commerce. If I wanted to sell, I had to use digital technology. Ultimately, I wanted to use it to sell more. And that I did. At scale. With this shift in thinking, we were able to create more efficient sales structures, open up our reach to more markets and consumers on a global scale. As a result, our brands grew and thrived. We were one of the first in the domestic textile and furniture world to shift our focus from traditional commerce to become a pioneer in how business is evaluated and transactions are made in the present digital world.

Can you share the story of how Yorkshire Fabric Shop came to be, and what inspired you to start this business?

Yorkshire Fabric Shop sprang to life in the historic heart of West Yorkshire, a region steeped in the UK's traditional textile industry. You'll find us housed in an old mill surrounded by factories and quaint cobbled streets, though the real beginning of our story lies in our global adventures. Our dedicated team travels the world to curate the thousands of unique fabrics that we're thrilled to display. From the rich textures of chenille plains to the vibrant diversity of tribal patchworks and the boldness of velvet animal prints, our collection is one of the most extensive and unique assortments available anywhere. Our selection is not just broad but exclusive to us. We take real pride in offering something that is genuinely and authentically different. Through our close partnerships with skilled weavers and artisans, we can offer designs that are fresh and completely unique, unlike the bland products sold elsewhere. When you visit our site, you will be greeted with a multitude of choices. We understand how difficult it is to visualize how a certain fabric will look in a particular space, and so we advise you to order samples and play with them. You can also use the tools on the site to create your mood boards; try mixing and matching the color, pattern, and prints of different fabrics to find what appeals to you. We are overflowing with ideas, so make sure you keep a close eye on the news page for tips, advice, and information on how to best choose for your distinct tastes and needs.

You mentioned using Square POS for its inventory management, online selling, and CRM capabilities. What advice would you give to a new fabric shop owner about choosing the right POS system for their needs?

The only advice I'd give to someone opening a new fabric shop and looking for a POS is to make sure it integrates with your e-commerce platform

especially if you are (or plan to be) selling online. The ease of adding items and creating orders can lead you to overlook this feature when first starting out, but a POS that allows real-time syncing of inventory between your online shop and brick-and-mortar store is invaluable. You never want to realize that you gave a customer bolts of the same fabric, resulting in the difficult (and embarrassing!) task of resolving the situation.

Because, even if you don't plan to set up an online store immediately, going with a POS that handles both brick-and-mortar sales and e-commerce from the get-go means you are ready to expand quite easily later on. It also means that you don't have to move systems, or try to link two systems where you should have gone with something that does it all 'under one roof' from the start. Things will always be much easier if you're set up to manage your fabric inventory across multiple channels as your business grows. So, if you pick an ePOS system to manage your fabrics to handle both in-store and online from day one, that's one less thing you have to worry about down the road. Ultimately, you'll save a lot of work getting stuff set up in two different systems when you only need one platform to do it.

In a previous response, you highlighted the success of offering free shipping and discounts to your email subscribers. How can other small business owners effectively implement similar promotional strategies to boost sales?

If you'd like to implement a similar tactic, you can use a multi-tiered rewards program that's presented on a spectrum of engagement with your business. Rather than sending your best email offer to all the email subscribers on your list, segment your list based on the frequency at which they engage with your emails (they open and click the email, or skip and delete it from their inbox), or shop with you (they buy once, they buy multiple times), to offer exactly what fits and appeals to the type of relationship you have with your customer. For instance, if a subscriber (or a first-time shopper) is encouraged to buy, develop an affinity with your brand to qualify for their first purchase, provide a small discount to cover the shipping fees or a small percentage off the order. For your most valued customers, who buy regularly from your business, provide 'Buy More, Save More' offers.

You discussed the importance of upcycled fabrics and sustainability in your business. How can fabric shop owners incorporate sustainable practices while also making them appealing to customers?

One simple thing I recommend to the owners of fabric shops to help them become more sustainable is to start a scrap-recycling program. Don't throw out your leftover pieces; have a box where customers can bring their scraps back and get credit for them. If you have a sewing workshop, you can repurpose the scraps as kits for little projects or a limited-run product. This is a great way to offer a sustainable solution, and it's a new product you can offer, which is something you can do some promotional work around.

Not only is this type of program sustainable, it also brings customers to your store, makes them an integral part of a bigger goal, and turns eco-friendliness into an entirely interactive experience, while also building an entire sustainability community around it. You can also proudly display these recycled products either in-store or via your website, showcasing how they're made from returned fabric, attracting eco-conscious shoppers looking for businesses to buy from that are walking the walk when it comes to their environmental impact.

Given your experience with TikTok Shop and its impact on Gen Z buying behavior, what actionable steps can fabric shop owners take to leverage this platform for sales growth?

You can leverage TikTok Shop for sales if you're an owner of a fabric shop by doing DIY tutorials for your products and incorporating that item in the videos. Don't just show fabric patterns or blather about sales; show actual steps to make a bag for your tote or a wall hanging from fabric. Visitors can observe your fabric and get inspired to order the exact materials they need from your TikTok Shop. And to do it even better, collaborate with crafting and sewing micro-influencers who already have followers on TikTok. Send them some of your fabric for their own tutorials and allow them to include your shop in the captions. That can get more customers for your store as their clients already trust them to give recommendations. It's about putting yourself out there and giving people the opportunity to purchase your fabric without thinking when they feel inspired by the content they're watching.

You've emphasized the importance of both online and in-store sales. What strategies can fabric shop owners use to create a seamless and integrated experience for their customers across both channels?

Something that I really would encourage fabric-shop owners to create as that bridge between online sales and in-store sales is a 'buy online, pick up in-store' (BOPIS). For instance, when somebody buys a piece of fabric online, have a short video or in-store instruction that tells them a project to make with it: 'Buy this piece of fabric and make a pillowcase,' or 'Buy this piece and make this small craft item.' This way, a customer stops in to pick up the fabric, gets that in-person experience, and feels like they're more a part of the shop. And to ensure that everything is integrated, be sure to have your POS integrated with your online store so inventory levels are updated instantly, and so information about what's in stock both online and in-store is instantly up to date for your customers online. This means that a customer who likes to browse online first can see in real-time what's available in the physical shop before they leave the house. Ultimately, it's all about being at ease with mixing the convenience of online shopping with the human contact that's so important to ensure that no matter whether your customer is sitting at home on their phone or standing in front of you in the shop, they have a seamless experience.

What's the biggest lesson you've learned about managing a successful fabric shop, and what advice would you offer to someone just starting out in this industry?

My biggest lesson, which a lot of people don't realize, is that having everything in order and the inventory system in place makes such a huge difference. Inventory management is so boring and mundane; it's not fun, but it really does matter. Your stock can get moved around, your inventory can get messed up, or if you don't know what you have, you're not going to be able to sell it. And if you don't know that you have it, you'll definitely not be able to make that sale. If I were opening a shop today, I would put so much time and effort into that inventory management system, setting it up from the beginning so that it would be in good shape. Whether you get a POS system or not, there's still a reporting function where you enter items as they come in and you enter them as they go out, balancing each other out. You can do it with just a spreadsheet, but make sure it's a really good spreadsheet. But having an inventory is not just a matter of keeping tabs on your stock - it should go way beyond it. Instead, use your inventory system to follow buying habits of customers and seasonal behavior. It will help you to know precisely what materials are moving out quickly and what you can leave hanging on the rack a bit longer. In addition, it gives you an insight into the type of customers you have and advice on the purchasing, your sales environment, and promotions that will help better manage the business and make it more efficient. Be proactive, know your customer, and be prepared to serve them as you stay one step ahead of them when it comes to dedicating your attention to your shop.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Be proactive, know your customers, and be prepared to serve them as you stay one step ahead of them when it comes to dedicating your attention to your shop.