2021: A Koala-ty Year At Sopha

Following in the footsteps of 2020, 2021 has been another eventful year, but thankfully one with lots of positives (not that kind of positive!). Here’s a round-up of everything that’s happened in our little independent this year, from spending the first three months in lockdown to launching our first ever TV advert.

January, February and March: Although it already feels a lifetime ago, the first three months of the year were spent behind closed doors due to the third lockdown. Our team worked tirelessly in the office from 9:30am-4:30pm Monday-Saturday to ensure all deliveries were going ahead as planned, click and collect was readily available and our website got some major enhancements to give you an even greater shopping experience. Even with our doors locked, this period wasn’t without its excitement; we put in our first window display of the year, were shortlisted for the Investing in Somerset award and finalists for the Environmental Achievement award at the Somerset Business Awards, and on the 23rd of January we welcomed Sopha’s newest team member: baby Ted, son of directors Matt and Emily.

April: On the 12th of April we were at last able to open our doors once more! We love chatting to our customers and deeply missed interacting with our community, and we were overwhelmed with your support. April was one of our busiest months ever in the space of just two weeks!

May: With everything returning towards normal, what better time to put in a bright, floral spring window display? After all, “the true essence of spring is in the colour it brings”! We wanted our display to look as happy as we were, and we hope it brightened your day too. We also had the joy of reopening our coffee shop on the 18th, getting the whole Sopha team back together and welcoming our beloved regulars for coffee and cake with full table service, plus introducing Naomi, a new barista, to the team.

June: As spring turned to summer, we took the opportunity to get involved with a local sports club and make the most of the glorious sunshine. Team member Emma plays for the Huntspill & District Cricket Club ladies team, and when they were in need of a sponsor we were more than happy to help. The partnership includes our Sopha logo on the front of the team shirts (one of which is proudly framed and hung in our office), an advertising board at the club ground and features on their website and social media. The ladies spent the summer playing games across the county and have continued participating in indoor tournaments throughout the winter so the koala has been getting rather a lot of exercise!

July: In July we introduced a new, upgraded range of Harrison Spinks’ Somnus beds. We don’t do sales at Sopha, but in order to clear the past ex-display range we were selling sumptuous beds at once-in-a-lifetime prices with savings of over £2500. What took their place was a collection of beautiful beds in stunning colours and striking headboards at better value than ever before. Find out more about these luxurious mattresses.

August: August saw another new window display, combining greys, greens and yellows with a rustic display and marvellous mirror decals. The tagline: “we are so much more than you see in the mirror”. Following on from the success of our H&DCC sponsorship, we decided to double down on our efforts to support our local community and sponsor the Sedgemoor Clean Surroundings Team – you may have seen our sign alongside their flower display on the Burnham-on-Sea Tesco roundabout!

September: Our mood boards proved to be a hit the first time around, so due to popular demand we gave them a refresh and created new boards for several of our ranges in-store to inspire many of our customers in the midst of redecorating. We also kept a big secret under our hat, with a film crew in-store working alongside the team on our first ever TV advert!

October: October was a huge month for us with our TV advert going live across Sky, YouTube and Facebook. We are immensely proud to have taken such a large step as such a small business and couldn’t believe the reception we got. Footfall increased all day every day and we received so many kind comments from customers across Somerset and beyond. It was a big expense after a series of lockdowns but proved to be the right step for us and a step towards putting Highbridge on the map. Customers visiting our store were also greeted with our final pre-Christmas window, a fabulous musical design with red popping over black and white chequered floors, as well as another new addition to our coffee shop; team member Jackie.

November: We were delighted to team up with some of our fellow Highbridge independent businesses to raise money for Children in Need; the whole Sopha team dressed up and in total over £260 was raised! With Christmas rapidly approaching, we developed a new menu for our coffee shop, featuring traditional mince pies, a range of seasonal drinks and an all new ‘festive feast’ sandwich. Fresh bread from our local bakery filled with turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets and cranberry sauce, with a hand-prepared salad garnish and homemade coleslaw on the side – the new addition proved to be very popular! Of course Christmas couldn’t get underway without our final window display of the year, the staff favourite Christmas window. This year we went for bottle green furniture, olive green walls and shocking pink accessories to give it a real WOW factor. We pride ourselves on being no ordinary furniture retailer and our windows are no different!

December: With things looking festive we were able to get the holiday season in full swing, including dressing up as elves to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society on Elf Day. We also took part in Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children with the staff continuing to wear their jumpers up to Christmas. Having started the year with an award ceremony, we were also fortunate enough to finish it by being awarded a certificate by the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service in recognition of services to the community – more on this in our next blog post!

With 2022 just a night away, we can’t wait to get started! There’s still lots to come, including a new range of Sopha beds, some new additions to the team, and exciting new ranges and accessories to discover, including a brand new range of rugs (you asked, we listened!). We’ve no doubt it’ll be another jam-packed year and thank all of our customers for supporting us as we continue to learn and grow.

Happy New Year from the Sopha team!