With just over a month to Fathers’ Day you may be starting to think about what you’re going to buy Dad this year. And we havet a number of original gifts that are ideal if you’re looking for something to give him that are a bit more unusual than a box of Quality Street! If your Dad’s a keen gardener there’s a gardener’s notebook or a cute kit for tending window boxes and tubs. If he’s into wine, there’s a wine kit with everything the budding sommelier could wish for – or there’s a cellar notebook so he can keep track of everything he’s got in boxes in the garden shed. And finally, if he’s keen on barbecues we have a range of kits and sets starting from 36.50, including a rather natty barbecue apron. Click here to go to the Fathers’ Day page on the site, but you can see a few items below – larger photos showing the inside of each of the sets can be seen on the detailed description page for each item.
News
Country Living Spring Fair – Show Report
It was a long 5 days at the Country Living Spring Fair in Islington. The positives were that we had a very good response to the range of products that we were showcasing at the show – particularly the Festin Coquin pottery that always draws people in. And our stand with the fabulous painting we commissioned specially actually drew a great many compliments. But the problem was the location of the stand – in a side room upstairs and away from the main exhibition area in the main hall. So what we found was that people were getting to us quite tired out and after they had spent most of their money in the main hall! So not a bumper show from a sales perspective. We handed out loads of leaflets though, so we’re expecting quite a few people to come and take a look at the site in the next few weeks.
We’re at the Spirit of Summer Fair in May at Olympia where we’re in a great location, so we’ll have to see how it goes there. It’s true what they say – the 3 rules of retail are location, location and location.
March 29, 2011
Country Living Spring Fair Starts on Wednesday
It’s all hotting up here at Boutique Provencale Towers as we start pulling everything together ready for the Country Living Spring Fair. The show runs from Wednesday to Sunday this week, and is being held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, North London. Exhibiting at the show is quite an undertaking, and it’s only when you start boxing up products that you start to realise how many different items you actually have! We won’t be able to display everthing we have online, but there should be a good selection across a number of departments. As we’ve taken quite a large stand, there’s quite a big space to fill and so a rather daunting number of products to package up! As well as our very popular colourful pottery from Festin Coquin and Something Apart there will be a selection of country style kitchen accessories, authentic provencal table linen, costume jewellery from Franck Herval and some of our stylish decorative living room accessories. We’re running a number of show special offers – with savings of up to 15% on our web prices. And there’s free delivery on show orders for people who don’t want to carry heavy items around the show. Plus there’s a free draw with a chance of winning £150 of Festin Coquin pottery.
Our stand is N12, which is upstairs in the auditorium hall – so please do come along and see us to have a look around.
March 20, 2011
Ideas for Mothers’ Day
Although it’s a lot later than usual, Mothers’ Day is rapidly approaching – it’s the 4th April this year. And maybe with a little more extra time to get things organised, this is the year to come up with something a bit more original than a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates. If you want to give your Mum something a little different this year, and are looking for ideas, we have a few items on the website which could fit the bill. If the lady in question is keen on country kitchen accessories or pottery, we have quite a few attractive items that are sure to delight her, won’t break the bank and will still be decorating the kitchen worktop in February 2012. If you want to splash out a bit more cash, what about an authentic provencal tablecloth that will bring the sunshine and colours of Provence into her home? We’ve a good range of round and rectangular tablecloths in a number of attractive designs that are actual;y made in the South of France and not China! Below are just a few ideas that are sure to make Mum happy this Mothers’ Day.
March 17, 2011
Come and see us at the Country Living Spring Fair
We’re venturing out of cyberspace again later this month to exhibit at the Country Living Spring Fair. It runs from 23rd-27th March and is being held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, North London. We’ve taken a much larger stand than we did at the France Show, and so there will be a far larger range of products to see (and hopefully buy!) As well as our fabulous, colourful pottery from Festin Coquin and Something Apart there will be a selection of country style kitchen accessories, authentic provencal table linen, costume jewellery and some of our stylish decorative living room accessories. There will be a number of show special offers – with savings of 15% off our web prices. And we’re offering free delivery on show orders for people who don’t want to carry heavy items around the show. Plus there’s a free draw with a chance of winning £150 of Festin Coquin.
We wanted our stand to look attractive, so we commissioned a trompe d’oeil artist – Chris Westall – to paint us a shuttered window looking out onto a typical provencal landscape – and it will certainly add a touch of Provence to proceedings. Here’s a preview of the painting which will be attached to the back wall of the stand – it’s amazing how he’s managed to create a 3 dimensional effect on a piece of mdf! Our stand is N12, which is upstairs in the auditorium hall – so please do come along and have a look around.
March 7, 2011
Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas
It’s that time of year again – the shops are full of anything red or pink and heart-shaped chocolates are everywhere. Of course, the traditional Valentine’s Day gifts of chocolates or flowers will always be appreciated – but their pleasures are rather short-lived (particularly chocolates in my case!) If you want to give her something a little different this year, and are looking for ideas, we have a few items on the website which could fit the bill. If the lady in question is keen on country kitchen accessories, we have quite a few attractive items that have hearts as part of the design – and will still be decorating the kitchen worktop in February 2012. Amongst other items, we’ve a heart design cookery book holder, a heart-shaped trivet and a cute metal egg holder with a heart adorning its top. Plus we’ve a range of gorgeous heart-shaped pottery dishes from Festin Coquin which are great for holding crisps, nuts or other nibbles. These attractive dishes make a great gift on their own, but you can fill them with an assortment of her favourite chocolates to make your gift that little bit extra special.
February 2, 2011
France Show Report
Our first foray out from cyberspace was an unqualified success – although I have to say that it was absolutely exhausting…3 days of standing and chatting to customers definitely takes it out of you. It was great to talk to people about our products and to get their feedback on what we had on display. What was really gratifying was to see how people gravitated to the colourful Festin Coquin pottery. It literally stopped them in their tracks and dragged them towards the stand. Now that’s what I call impact. We did sell quite a bit of pottery, and once we told people that we were an online store, they were keen to take a look at our full range of french accessories at leisure at home on their computers. We handed out hundreds of leaflets and postcards, so we’re hoping that they’ll be shopping with us soon. Next sortie – the Country Living Spring Fair at the end of March….
January 18, 2011
France Show Starts Tomorrow
We spent this morning setting up our stand at the France Show – a mecca for all francophiles. It’s our first foray into exhibitions and we’re hoping it will go well. We’re certainly looking forward to talking to our customers face-to-face. We’ve focused on showcasing our Festin Coquin pottery and provencal table linen - and the result (if we do say so ourselves!) is a very attractive and colourful stand – although it’s a bit “bijou” so we won’t be able to throw any large parties! There’s a free draw to win £150 of Festin Coquin pottery and, because we suspect that visitors won’t want to carry heavy bags around the exhibition, we’re offering free delivery on show purchases . The show runs from Friday 14th January to Sunday 16th January at Earls Court 2 and we’re on stand 173. If you’re coming to the show, we hope you’ll pop by to visit us.
January 13, 2011
Boutique Provencale Venturing Out of Cyberspace!
We’ve decided that in 2011 we’re going to attend a few shows and exhibitions so we can actually get to speak to our customers! Our first foray outside cyberspace will be the France Show in January at Earls Court. It’s a mecca for all things French – whether you’re looking to buy a property, book yourself in on a language course or want to pick up French goodies – lifestyle products like ours as well as food and wine. The show runs from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th January and you’ll find us on stand 173. We’ve opted not to be part of the French food market, and will be just opposite La Table de France cafe.
For more details on the show go to the France Show website.

















