Teddington Nub News aims to be supportive to EVERY element of the community from business and shops to people and charities and clubs and sports organisations.

Everyone is finding it tough at the moment and is desperate to get back to normal. Many shops in High Street and Broad Street will re-open today (Monday, June 15) including STUDIO 148.

We are profiling some of these local businesses and groups regularly over coming weeks in a feature called UP CLOSE IN TEDDINGTON in the hope that we can be a supportive springboard for their full return to business.

This week we talk to the amazing award-winning NITA SHARMA, founder and owner of Studio 148 in High Street, Teddington and the ONLY dedicated men's fashion shop within a sock throw for men.

During a Q and A session Nita talks about her business and her love of living in Teddington.

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Tell us how did you come to open your shop in Teddington and what were the key considerations about moving here?

Prior to launching Studio 148, it was an art supplier Selwyn Smith Studio, which I took over in 2008 as I am a professional artist. The entrepreneur and dreamer within me helped to identify a gap for specialist menswear fashion in Teddington. Soon after I realised this and converted my passion from art to fashion and it resulted in successfully running a menswear boutique in Teddington.

You are really the only Men's Shop in the area - what made you think there was a demand for such a shop in Teddington.

I saw the scope in the market for a quality independent menswear shop on the High Street. It aims to bring lots of bright colours in smart but casual wear to the chaps of Teddington.

Tell us a bit about your personal business background Nita and how you ended up running Studio 148? I think it is a family business?

Studio 148 is a small family run business. I have been trading in Teddington for the past 12 years and Studio 148 was launched in 2011. By profession, I am an artist and used to run a small art supplies shop but with economy falling down I decided to change business. I saw my shop as a blank canvas and thought instead of selling various paints I can make the shop more colourful with different menswear clothes which are rare to find on High Streets or websites.

What do you like about Teddington? Are you involved in the local community at all, if so how?

Being a mother I love Teddington for its homely feel. After living in many different parts of London I finally feel Teddington is a very special town. It has a very close community. It is a small town but it has everything one could ask for, from historical Bushy Park, Teddington Lock cafes, restaurants, bars, pubs, boutiques and the best part is Teddington Lights Up. Every year in November they make the High Street so beautiful with Xmas lights and encourage the community to shop locally and support each other. We work together with Teddington Together Community & support our High Street.

It might be an unfair question but who is your typical customer and what are they usually looking for? How would you describe the shop, up market, mid market etc and what makes Studio 148 different?

Our typical customers are of over 30 age-group from different walks of life. Mostly, our customers look for something unique and different from what is available online and in any departmental store collection.

The garments displayed in our boutique are personally handpicked by me from global speciality brands. These brands are rare to find online or in departmental stores and customers love this exclusivity about Studio 148. The shop itself is a boutique that fits in nicely with other similar smart shops of the area – having a vintage tailor's look with wooden floors and decorations but with open space to keep a minimal, less-crowded feel and plenty of room for the family and kids/buggies to fit in. To accompany the old-style look is old-fashioned good customer service that includes a personal shopping service and alterations for items that need adjusting.

What other shops do you like and use in Teddington?

Teddington High Street itself has quite unique shops, most of which are run by local families. I like most of the shops but I am a foodie and we have great cuisines in Teddington. So, my favourite venue has to be Ruba, a Lebanese restaurant on 132 High Street. Being a vegetarian I find wide selection of veggie healthy dishes there. If anyone hasn't tried it yet, I would highly recommend it.

The lockdown has been very difficult for all types of business. How has it impacted on you and what are your plans and timings to re-open?

The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on fashion brands worldwide. Retailers have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by shutting their doors. In the last few months a number of major retailers and brands have announced their temporary closure. According to the government guidelines we are re-opening our shop from Monday 15th June, on our normal business hours. We have to encourage customers by offering special discounts and promotions.

Do you have any plans to grow the business?

Sustainable growth, dealing with changes in a developing marketplace, reaching out to the right customers and staying ahead of the competition. Online shopping has taken over the fashion industry. But there are many people who like to shop personally. We are planning to introduce more unique fashion labels which are only available in our boutique, so we don't have to compete with the online market. I would like to keep our boutique as original as possible by providing the unique and best quality garments at an affordable price range, offering great customer service where they can enjoy shopping in a friendly environment without any hassle. Hopefully, we will add made to measure service in the future, where customers can enjoy shopping at their doorstep instead of online or travelling far for specialist service.

How do you keep up with changing fashions and the seasons, especially with the summer upon us - are you still stocking summer clothes although you are closed?

Fashion industry buying works a season ahead. We have four seasons, in which Spring Summer is widely used by the fashion industry to define the collections that are launched in particular seasons like Autumn Winter, Fall Winter and Spring Summer keeping in mind the requirements of the customers for those seasons. We have already purchased our summer stock which we will start selling on re-opening our shop.

I think you and your business have won various awards from the industry - can you tell us about those and what they were for?

So far Studio148 hasn't won any business award but I myself have won the 1st Indian Businesswoman in Teddington award during Mrs India UK, 2019.

MANY CONGRATULATIONS NITA AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

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