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Claire Swallow, The Closet Queen, Barnsley Market

Claire Swallow runs the Closet Queen, a ladies’ fashion business with stalls on Barnsley’s outdoor and indoor market.

Claire’s mission is to empower women to feel confident in themselves!

After leaving a job in sales with printing company in 2015, Claire decided to turn her passion into a profit and, attracted by the flexibility of market trading, launched the Closet Queen on Barnsley Market.

Claire is a skilled communicator and proper people person. She loves the hustle and the bustle of the market – in her own words, “it’s real, it’s friendly, it’s a great atmosphere.”

The Closet Queen started on Facebook. Claire would get potential customers interested by doing flash sales with on-trend products. People from Barnsley love their markets, so it was a natural step to take a casual stall.

"Before you even get out there to the market, drill your audience up online and start creating a vibe about your business.

"Your market stall becomes an outlet for what you've built up online. It's key to my business, if I didn't start the Facebook page I wouldn't be half as successful as we are today"

In addition, Claire employs staff. She is training young women in Barnsley to become successful fashion retailers. The business even has an apprentice to support day to day administation.

For anyone considering start-up a business on a traditional retail market - Claire's advice is to spend some time really getting to know your potential customers and your market.

"You need to make yourself different. You need to research what you're going to buy and make sure that the quality is right.

"Gone are the days when market traders can fly up, shove something on a stall and you're long gone; it's about longevity, keeping your customers for life."

Connect with the Closet Queen using the links below:

Website - www.theclosetqueen.co.uk
Facebook - www.facebook.com/theclosetqueen0
Twitter - www.twitter.com/theclosetqueen0

More information about trading on markets in Barnsley can be found here: www.barnsley.gov.uk

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