05/04/2025
An Announcement ~ We’re Moving! A New Chapter for Sweet Marie’s 🎉
Back in January of this year and after six colourful years, I made the difficult decision to not renew my rental lease on our beloved Cookham High Street shop. It was not an easy decision to come to (I’ve poured my heart and time into the Cookham store!), but with my business hat on (and not my emotional hat!) it’s the right decision for the future of my business. The retail landscape has changed dramatically over the past 12-18 months, and I have seen a huge shift in spending habits and foot traffic through the door. The wider economic pressures at play, coupled with the significant business interruptions Cookham village has faced, have been challenging to navigate.
It is going to bittersweet to say goodbye to the space that I know has brought joy and happiness to so many in our community. We wouldn’t be here with a business to move forward with had it not been for the rallying of the local community when it mattered. We survived through Covid, a six-month bridge closure, 3 flooding interruptions where the village has been completely cut off, plus business interruptions due to gas, telecoms repairs, and council roadworks! Each and every one of you who shopped at Sweet Marie’s, I thank you for your support. I am honoured to have played a part in so many of your celebrations and special occasions to date.
That all said, I want my business to do more than just survive; I want it to thrive. With the start of significant gas works in the area, with a projected 34 weeks to complete the works and subsequent traffic interruptions, this absolutely feels like the right time to be moving my business in a different direction. Whilst the Cookham shop will be closing Sweet Marie’s will live on!
We will be moving our operation into warehouse space in Cookham (more on that to follow soon!). This is going to allow me to better focus my time on growing the UK mail order part of the business and also introduce some new additions. With an increased focus online and ‘Click & Collect,’ I will be able to continue offering a curated selection of our favourite finds and gifts while reducing the overheads of running the business and using my time in a more efficient way.
Thank you, Cookham, for being a part of the journey so far. Owning a shop front was a dream of mine, and to see that come to life in the village I love so much and within this beautiful community has been an amazing experience filled with so many memories and new friends made.
So, what does this all mean for the next few weeks? We’ll be vacating the shop after the Easter break, but we’ll need a couple of weeks to clear out the fixtures, inventory, and refresh the space. Our final days of regular shop trading will be early next week. We had planned for today Saturday but we’ve been so busy and so we are extending until Tuesday. We are currently hosting a BIG SALE — everything in the store (except helium balloons) is at 50% OFF! That includes all our fabulous party supplies, seasonal decor, gifts, and more. If you cannot make it into the shop but would like to shop our sale please use code MOVE50 at checkout. This discount code is live until midnight Tuesday (* excludes helium balloons).
Cheers to the next chapter!
With love and gratitude,
Marie x
