Salisbury’s OSOboutique (pronounced oh-so) is quietly undergoing a radical transformation. The reins of the popular 11-year-old fashion independent are about to be handed over to former marketing exec Katie Gibbs, who has been diligently learning the ropes under the mentorship of co-founder Jan Ashton.
The pair hope the transition will take shape organically over the course of the next few months as Katie prepares to take on the role as eventual owner: “The changeover’s success rests on customers not even noticing there’s new management,” she says. “That’s when I’ll know I’ve done a good job.”
Shared vision
For Jan, who co-founded the store in 2013 with daughter Nat, this is the culmination of years of hard work – and a step towards a well-earned semi-retirement. “OSO was Nat’s baby in the beginning,” she says. “She took the lead with the store’s concept and buying strategy while I kept a tight leash on the finances. But within 10 months I was completely submerged in the business and enjoying every moment.”
Today OSOboutique employs a team of five women who offer shoppers “fun and friendly” styling advice or just a place to chat. From the very start, Jan and Nat’s vision was to create a non-intimidating space that welcomed every shopper: “We never wanted to be a scary boutique that certain people felt they couldn’t enter,” says Jan. “Community has been key to our ethos all along.”
Over a decade ago, the store opened with a clear focus on fashion jewellery. However, its small range of “affordable yet unique” clothing soon became equally popular with shoppers: “We brought in largely unknown brands,” says Jan. “To our surprise the fashion was more popular than the jewellery. The shop was a huge success, and after a short time we decided to expand our clothing range.”
Fast-forward to 2017, and the boutique had outgrown its space, leading to a relocation to its current, much larger premises. Inside shoppers can peruse beautifully curated tables, cabinets and rails offering clothing, jewellery, footwear and accessories. Everything in the store is artfully arranged by Jan (who buys with merchandising in mind) with the support of her talented team.
With the new larger shop floor space came new opportunities, and OSO was able to add brands like Mama B, Maison Hotel, and American Vintage to its roster alongside its long-established jewellery. For AW24, Jan says the team is excited to reintroduce Bonté London following its successful debut this summer alongside a wider selection of styles from Chalk. “We look for timeless pieces with an edge; something special shoppers won’t find anywhere else,” she says. “People don’t come here for the ordinary – they want special. The trick has always been to offer that while getting the price point right.”
With a mother-and-daughter as the original driving force behind the store, OSO has always stocked products that appeal to a multigenerational customer base: “We buy fashion for all ages, shapes and sizes,” says Jan. “For example, we will purposely select pieces we know will look great on a size 16, then buy more heavily into that specific size.” This is also reflected by its staff, who are aged from 43 to 68 years old and wear UK dress sizes eight – 18.
Despite its bigger focus on fashion in recent years, Jan says jewellery remains integral to OSO’s success. “It’s always been a strong category for us. Jewellery sells no matter the weather. And with Salisbury’s tourist trade, it’s an easy purchase — something small but special that visitors can take home.”
City heights
Salisbury itself is a quiet yet affluent enclave in Wiltshire, based just 10 miles south of Stonehenge. Jan and Nat’s decision to open a boutique there was purely commercial: “We did consider several coastal towns for the location, but Salisbury had such strong potential,” Jan says. “It’s a very small city but it has the best cathedral in the country alongside amazing architecture. Plus, with 360 degrees of highly populated villages surrounding it, we felt it was a strong destination.”
The city hit the headlines in 2018 for the novichok attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. Their poisonings cast a dark cloud over its centre, with footfall declining quite dramatically in the city centre in the months that followed.
Yet, according to Jan and Katie, fears created by the incident have subsided and the city is now thriving. “There are lots of independent shops already here and that’s gathering pace,” says Katie. “A lot of towns have declined over the years, but Salisbury has really turned a corner. The local BID is doing a brilliant job in attracting more shops and visitors, too.”
Last year family-owned department store Bradbeers arrived in the city, taking over a building that was formerly occupied by Debenhams. Jan says that while she had to tweak OSO’s brand list slightly, its arrival has been nothing but positive: “We dropped a few brands that were going to cross over. Still, I don’t see it as a threat to us. There are plenty of suppliers out there plus it brings in more people to Salisbury. We need good shops in the town that will continue to draw in shoppers.”
Physical footfall is particularly important for OSOboutique, as it doesn’t currently sell online. Instead, Jan and the team use daily Instagram posts – often featuring its staff members or customers – to drive shoppers into the store: “E-commerce was vital for us during the pandemic, but when we were allowed to reopen the physical shop, we made a deliberate decision to pull back,” says Jan. “Online needs to operate as a completely separate business, and at that time it wasn’t bringing in enough of a return to warrant the time or expense.”
Passing the baton
During the lockdowns, Nat also stepped away from OSO to open Rose the Store in Bournemouth’s Westbourne, leaving Jan to manage the business alone. Katie, a loyal customer, entered the picture at a crucial moment: “After taking a career break to have my three children, I was ready to return to work,” she says. “But I wasn’t sure in what capacity. So, I invited women I admired out for a coffee – and Jan was at the top of my list.”
This meeting turned out to be pivotal for both women: “Katie was extremely impressive,” says Jan. “I wasn’t ready to take on a marketing person, so I initially asked her to help over the busy Christmas period. I quickly realised she was special and began to consider how she could drive the business forward in the future.”
For Katie, who once led a high-flying career in marketing, stepping into the world of boutique retail has been life-changing: “I’m learning so much, and I’m in a role I truly love that draws on many of my skills. I love the variety of running an independent retail business and with Jan mentoring me, I can prepare for when the time comes for her to take a step back.”
As the two women discuss the future of OSO, it’s clear that this isn’t just a business transition – it’s a partnership built on mutual respect, creativity, and shared passion: “We’re buying together and planning together,” says Jan. “It’s a natural fit. I feel like fortune and the stars have all aligned.”
For shoppers, the coming months will bring more of the same carefully curated fashion and jewellery they’ve come to expect from OSO. But behind the scenes, a quiet revolution is underway, driven by the collaboration of two women with a shared vision for the future.
While Katie promises to retain the same OSOboutique customers know and love, she is planning some small changes to modernise the business: “My main focus will be on keeping the store as good as it is today,” she says. “However, I do plan to begin capturing more customer data so that we can develop connections further with in-store events and fashion inspiration. We will also, when the time is right, re-introduce e-commerce. But the physical store will always be at the heart of the business.”