Katie Heptonstall, owner of the childrenswear brand Eleanor Charles, shares the story behind her expanding retail business. From initial pop-ups in York and Nottingham to a permanent shop in York and the recent opening of a brand-new store in Harrogate, she reveals insights on growth, community, and what makes Eleanor Charles shops stand out in a competitive market.

 

Childrenswear brand Eleanor Charles is making waves in the retail sector under the direction of founder Katie Heptonstall. Initially launching through pop-ups in York and Nottingham, the brand has since established a permanent presence in York and, more recently, opened a brand-new store in Harrogate in October.

“As the business continued to grow, opening a second store felt like a natural progression for us,” says Heptonstall. “We chose Harrogate because it’s our hometown, and it also offers everything we wanted for our customers: it’s easy to access, has good on-street parking, and is surrounded by a great selection of other retailers that complement the Eleanor Charles experience. We also located a shop that is large enough to extend our product display, add a coffee shop and a shoe shop, and to fulfil orders from.”

 

 

Transitioning from temporary pop-ups to permanent stores has marked a significant milestone for Eleanor Charles.

These initial pop-ups, alongside regular appearances at trade shows, served as valuable opportunities for the brand to trial its concept, understand what its customers were looking for, and refine its offering. This hands-on approach not only affirmed the market’s appetite for the brand but also fostered trust, allowing customers to experience the quality of Eleanor Charles products first-hand.

“Having permanent stores has been a huge relief in many ways,” continues Heptonstall. “It’s wonderful to have a consistent selling platform that we don’t need to set up and break down every few days, allowing us to put more time and energy into our customers and our products. The stability of permanent spaces has also enabled us to recruit a really strong team, and they’ve brought so much passion, experience, and innovation to the brand.

“Expanding into Harrogate, our hometown, has been especially rewarding. While opening any new store comes with its challenges, the familiarity of the area and the support of the local community made the transition smooth and exciting. Overall, moving from pop-ups to permanent stores has given us room to grow, strengthened our brand, and allowed us to create more meaningful experiences for our customers in both locations.”

 

 

Supporting families, building community

For Heptonstall, creating a genuinely family-friendly environment in Harrogate was paramount, an ethos that is reflected in every aspect of the shop’s design. Recognising the potential challenges parents face when shopping with young children, she has cultivated a space where families feel welcome, relaxed, and well-supported. The aim is to alleviate the pressure and stress often associated with shopping trips for families with children, enabling them to take their time and enjoy the experience together.

An in-store coffee shop serves as a central hub and has rapidly become a popular meeting place for parents with their babies and children, helping foster a sense of community among local families. For younger visitors, a dedicated play corner offers a safe and fun area, allowing children to enjoy themselves while parents browse or catch up over coffee. The shop also has a private breastfeeding and baby-change room, no purchase necessary to use, ensuring families always have a comfortable, supportive space in town.

“By offering a place where parents can enjoy a coffee while their little ones play, we hope our new shop will enhance Harrogate’s high street, creating a warm, family-focused destination that encourages people to spend more time locally, “confirms Heptonstall. “We also actively engage with the local community by hosting groups such as The Mums’ Club Harrogate and the Mama CEO Collective, which regularly use our coffee shop as a welcoming venue for their meet-ups. Ultimately, we want to create a home-from-home environment for our customers. As a mum myself, I know how daunting it can feel going into town with little ones, and having this kind of space will hopefully make it easier for mums to get out and about with confidence.”

 

 

In terms of stock, the store showcases its own brand of country-inspired clothing for babies and children from newborn to 11 to 12 years, as well as a complementary selection of ladies’ pieces.

Eleanor Charles’ core collections include On The Farm, inspired by life on Heptonstall’s family farm, and the Pony Collection, which is based on her own horse-riding days. There are also collections with a more contemporary, story-led aesthetic, including Enchanted Forest, English Garden, and In The Stars, giving customers a broader range of styles to choose from. Each collection features premium digital prints and carefully crafted embroidered pieces, bringing the themes to life through thoughtful design and high-quality detailing.

Alongside its own label, the Harrogate store offers a wide selection of toy brands, including Le Toy Van, Happy Horse, Bam Bam and Schleich, among others. It also features an in-house shoe shop, which provides leading footwear brands such as Start-Rite, Bobux, Geox and Froddo, together with a full measuring service.

 

 

In addition to offering a broad product range and a family focused in-store experience, Eleanor Charles is committed to sustainability and circular fashion.

This dedication is evident in the store’s Second Hand Service, which encourages customers to return outgrown garments and helps extend the life of each piece. “Our Second Hand Service allows customers to return outgrown Eleanor Charles clothing in exchange for a credit note,” adds Heptonstall. “Each item is carefully graded based on its condition, and customers can receive up to 30% of the original RRP to put towards a new purchase. Even if a piece isn’t suitable for resale, we still offer a 5% credit note as a thank you for recycling and helping us keep clothing in circulation wherever possible.

“We then sell the second-hand products in our Second Hand Shop, which is currently on our website, but we’re making plans to bring it in-store so that customers can touch and feel the condition of the second-hand pieces. As the products are often in great condition, it’s also a great testament to how well our products wash.”

Having successfully created a welcoming home-from-home retail experience for families on Harrogate’s high street, Heptonstall continues to develop plans for Eleanor Charles’ growth. “We’ve expanded fairly quickly, and it’s been quite a juggle with having two little ones ourselves,” concludes Heptonstall. “Our plan now is to focus on our current B2C platforms and make them the best they can be, and we are keen to grow B2B and potentially explore increasing stockists overseas.”

www.eleanorcharlesengland.co.uk
Photography credit: Emma Raye Photography