Tuesday 9 October 2012

We love you Milton Keynes

It's been a busy couple of weeks and I have failed miserably to keep up with the blog.  Last weekend was manic, with the BabyExpo in Milton Keynes and the Mumpreneur Business Awards.

The BabyExpoUK exhibited for the first time in Milton Keynes rather than it's usual Brighton home.  After a long drive with a car full of stock, Toddler and weekend bags, we arrived on Friday afternoon ready to set up the stand for the weekend.  The Expo was held in the main shopping centre: thecentremk.  What a fantastic venue.  The organisers, Suzanne and Mel from Whats on 4, did a remarkable job and by 9am on Saturday morning, the whole area was alive and buzzing, full of bright, colourful stands.

Saturday was busy with a steady stream of customers.  Thankfully, the lovely Jana of Spotty Dot who had a stand next to me, was on hand to keep an eye on the TT stand whilst I grabbed toilet and coffee breaks.  It is well worth checking out her website and looking at her gorgeous soft toys and rattles.  She also does a fantastic range of handmade t-shirts. 

There were also lots of things happening on the stage including talks by the lovely Annabel Karmel and sleep expert Jo Tantum.

On Sunday, Nanny Tyke manned the stand for me whilst I headed off to the Mumpreneur Business Awards (more on that in the next blog).  Although quieter on the Sunday, Nanny Tyke still did a roaring trade - especially in our fab slipper socks.  There are going to be an awful lot of warm toesies in Milton Keynes this winter!

A big thank you goes out to the lovely Gillian of Mojo Maternity who was on the other side of us.  She specialises in maternity wear for both taller and bigger ladies.  Gillian herself is tall which was a blessing to Nanny Tyke who will quite happily describe herself as 'vertically challenged'.  The layout of the stand meant that Nanny didn't stand a chance of being able to break it down on her own at the end of the Expo without a ladder, or the help of Gilllian and her husband.  If you know any tall pregnant ladies, I would most definitely recommend checking out her website.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend.  We spread the Tykes Tights love and met so many wonderful mums, dads, nannies, grandads and little ones.  This is one event that we will be putting in our diary for next year!