Taffeta Gray launched online shop Five Boys Clothing, for boys ages 3 to 15 years, with a close friend two years ago. Between the two women they have five boys and noticed a gap in the market for a ‘boys only’ shopping destination.
WLM asked the Shepherd’s Bush mum about the site:
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live off the Askew Road with my husband and three children, Ferdie (5), Gus (3) and Clemmie (1). I thought I would live in the bush and study monkeys (technically I am a primatologist by training) but now I live in Shepherd’s Bush and look after three monkeys!
What inspired you to start Five Boys?
With five boys between us, my friend Sophia and I were fed up with the lack of choice on the high street for boys—too many logos and cartoon characters coupled with dull colours. So we set about curating our own online shop and were amazed by some of the brilliant brands that we found offering cool clothing for boys.
What makes your offering unique?
We are one of the only online shops just for boys (although we do stock unisex brands) and we cater for that difficult-to-buy-for tween age. Most online shops stop at ten. We like to think that we offer clothing that both boys and mums will love.
What challenges have you faced?
Age isn’t always a good measure of size and there is often a discrepancy across brands. So we have tried to address the challenge by providing good product descriptions and stocking Scandi brands that size according to height and not age.
Can you offer any advice to women setting up their own business?
Do some research, know your competition, but ultimately go with your gut instinct.
What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do?
When mothers get excited by what we offer and seem genuinely relieved to have found us! Plus learning from the boys in our lives what they love to wear and do.
How do you juggle kids and work?
With lots of help and patience. Luckily we both have supportive families nearby and lots of admin can be handled after bedtime. I always try and do one end of the school run—to know what’s going on at school and I find it’s a good time to chat to the boys. And we always eat breakfast together—house rule, with no phones. I try not to let work interrupt the weekends unless we have a planned event. Basically it is amazing what you can achieve between the hours of 9am and 3pm!
Have a look at the site here: www.fiveboysclothing.com
