A brand new gift superstore, Maybugs – located in a former Laura Ashley building – opened its doors in Eastbourne at the end of last week (Friday July 30), with dignitaries Caroline Ansell MP and His Worshipful The Mayor of Eastbourne, Cllr Pat Rodohan, cutting the ribbon.
“It’s so nice to see an independent retailer flourishing after the past 18 months. I wish the Maybugs team the very best of luck,” enthused Caroline, with the Mayor stating: “there’s nothing like this in Eastbourne. It gives locals another reason to come back to the town and shop locally, rather than defaulting to online shopping. It’s such a beautiful shop, and such a pleasurable experience.”
Commenting on the opening co-owner Greg Rose said: “We were joined by family and friends for our opening event and they were blown away by the store. However, we were not prepared to turn up on Friday morning to find people queuing to get in an hour before we opened! The store was at capacity over last weekend and it’s amazing that so many people came out to support us. I don’t accept it when we hear people say the high street is dead. It’s down to retailers to up their game to bring the customers in!”
Co-owner John Dale added: “It makes me so proud that all our hard work has paid off. Customers have been commenting how wonderful the shop is, and that they have never been anywhere like it. We set out to create something unique here – the future of gift retailing – creating an experience as well as an exciting shopping environment.”
It’s a second gift shop for Greg and John who opened their first Maybugs branch in Hailsham’s Vicarage Field in 2018, and Flowers by Maybugs, a contemporary florist and floral design studio, last year.
In addition to brands such as Jellycat, Wrendale Designs, Carrie Elspeth and Inis Fragrance, the shop stocks a huge variety of locally produced items that include candles and wax melts, sweet treats and original artwork by local artist Pennie Cunliffe-Lister.
“Supporting other local businesses and producers is part of the Maybugs ethos,” confirmed Greg. “Of course we can’t source everything locally, and sometimes price is prohibitive, however if we can get it from someone local then we will!”
Above: Big smiles from happy customers at the opening of the new Maybugs store in Eastbourne.
