Chester business urges support for local this Mother’s Day
Laura Heywood opened The Scented Garden in 1995 and says we have to shop local if we want Chester to thrive
A busy mum and owner of a Chester wellness business is taking part in a ‘mums love local’ campaign encouraging people to think local when they spoil their mum this Mother’s Day, supporting local businesses at the same time.
Laura Heywood runs The Scented Garden alongside being a busy mum, and has grown the business over the years, saying:
“I set up my business 27 years ago with a loan from The Prince’s Trust. After I left college, I was lucky to get a job working in theatres with celebrity clients, travelling around the country. It was glamorous but it was my dream to open my own salon.
“The Scented Garden is located in Northgate Street on the Rows, offering both beauty and holistic treatments. As a new business owner, you obviously make mistakes but I think that’s part and parcel of running a business.
“At one time, we were making our own products and exporting them to Japan and Finland but when the market crashed, we re-evaluated our focus to the treatments, widening our menu and adding advanced treatments.
“Coming out of lockdown, we were unsure that we’d even still have a business but people still want to have treatments to improve their mental health and I feel fortunate that we’re still in business, and growing too.
“I’ve got three children, two are teenagers and one is eleven. When they were babies, it was a never ending juggling act of making sure I was there for my children and there for my business. The guilt you feel as both a mum and a business owner can be overwhelming.
“Now they’re a little older, they can come into the salon and help out. They’ve learnt some fantastic life skills, such as communication, and work ethic. Just because I leave work and close the salon door doesn’t mean that the work ends. Once the children are in bed, there’s also marketing and paperwork but I love what I do; it’s my passion.”
The Scented Garden is one of over 120 businesses where you can spend the Chester Gift Card, which was introduced by Chester Business Improvement District (BID) in November 2020 to encourage local shopping and lock money into the city.
Laura adds: “The Scented Garden is part of the Chester Gift Card because I thought it was a great opportunity to improve our city. When you actually have a look at the retailers that accept the card, there’s a huge variety of both high street stores and independents, all of which are employing local people and contributing to the vibrancy of the city centre.
“We get lots of people in to spend their Chester Gift Card and it is lovely to hear people’s joy when they find out they can spend their card with us. It is the choice that is on offer through the card that is the selling point and makes it an ideal gift for Mother’s Day.
“My perfect Mother’s Day would be very simple, it would be a lie-in and someone else making dinner. If I had a Chester Gift Card, I’d probably go to one of my favourite clothes shops like Chester Boutique, then for some tea and cake in one of Chester’s many cafés, like Rainbow Tea rooms and maybe to the cinema or to see a show at Storyhouse. Half of the fun is deciding how to spend it.
“I think it’s really important that we all, as individuals, support our high street this Mother’s Day and all year round. The high street landscape is changing dramatically at the moment, we have to shop local otherwise we run the risk of losing the businesses that we value in our city.”
Luka Morrell is the business engagement manager at Chester BID and said: “No matter what your mum enjoys doing, the Chester Gift Card caters for all interests, whether it’s time with the family or time for themselves, products or experiences. And best of all, every gift card has to be spent here in Chester, providing a tangible cash injection for our city economy.”
Chester’s gift card is part of the award winning Town & City Gift Card initiative from Miconex active across the UK. Local gift cards giants Town & City Gift Cards are leading the national ‘mums love local’ campaign alongside Chester BID.
Colin Munro is the managing director of Miconex: “It’s easy to forget, but behind every local business is a person who is putting their heart and soul into keeping that business alive. When you’re spoiling your mum this Mother’s Day, by choosing local, you can also support mums running businesses in your area who in turn are employing local people and providing much needed services and experiences for locals.”
View Laura interview here: https://youtu.be/Zlsw8inPToc
