Chelsea 2009, Stand PW14
SALES SOAR FOR SITTING SPIRITUALLY AT THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 2009
This was our second visit to Chelsea since starting the business in 2004 and we were excited to be able to show our new innovative ‘Trilogy Swing Seat Combination’ to the public for the first time. We teamed up with our daughter, talented painter Lucy Young, whose work is becoming well known. She showed her new ‘botanical collection’ of paintings, prints and cards which were extremely popular over the five days, but the real star of the show, just as we suspected, was the Trilogy.
It seems that the versatility of this ‘A’ frame, single seat, four seater swing seat and rope swing combination hit the spot just as we hoped it might. Our swing seats last for years but life moves on in that time for many of our customers and people loved the idea that you could ring the changes using our very simple hanging method. Many customers opted for the version where you could hang two rope swings for the children, or grand children, when they visit, or one rope swing and a single swing seat to swing side by side. By combining this with the four seater swing seat you have all the options you could ever need for happy garden swinging.
Our visit to Chelsea this year was also given a big boost by an article which appeared in the Weekend Telegraph on the previous Saturday May 16th which brought many people to our stand. It was a new experience for me to be ‘recognised’ but apart from people wanting to find out more and place orders, many people were disappointed not to meet our Jack Russell Delilah who shared the Tranquillity swing seat with me in our garden in Lyme Regis in the photograph. Sadly she was otherwise engaged and couldn’t be on the stand to meet her public!
So in spite of the recession, we returned from Chelsea with a full order book and the promise of a long, hot summer ahead with hopefully plenty of time for new customers and old to laze about on their swing seats in the garden. But for me that will have to wait, I am busy in my workshop doing what I do best, carefully choosing my woods, sharpening my tools and fulfilling all those Sitting Spiritually swing seat orders in time for the heatwave!
Martin Young
June 2009
Chelsea 2008