Working Mums profile
Tessa Carpenter, Founder of The Patchwork Cat, Denbigh
"..now mums don't have to travel to Rhyl for a sunshade for the buggy"
Tessa, wife and mother of two (Adam aged 14 & Sophie aged 12) set up her childrens clothing business in Denbigh in 2005 after having lived in desperation for years at having to travel miles for clothes and toys for her children
"Denbigh had nothing for kids when I opened 3 years ago, no clothes shops, no shoe shops, no good educational toy shops (apart from Woolworths with their expanse of plastic!) and nowhere to buy anything for babies. I was fed up with having to travel to Chester for nice things for my children on my valuable day off or at weekends and became disheartened at trying to find something different in Woolworths every time they were invited to birthday parties (usually at short notice!)."
Tessa knows that by opening The Patchwork Cat she has made the lives of so many working mums a lot easier and they are forever telling her such. Having just recovered from the mad panic buying of back to school shoes, a stressful time for all mums who dread the ticket taking queues at Clarks, Patchwork Cat have also recently developed a baby section by adding moses baskets, cots, bedding, nursery accessories and a wide selection of home safety equipment and buggy accessories -
"now mums don't have to travel to Rhyl for a sunshade for the buggy or corner cushions for their tables. So many mums hate having to travel, especially with babies and toddlers in tow, just to get the very basic items that they need."
Vale Mic gets the low down from Tessa on the highs and lows of running a business as well as family life:
What do you think is the most challenging thing about being a working mother?
Everything about being a working mother is challenging. It is a true juggling act between childcare, keeping the house relatively tidy ( not easy with 2 kids, 3 dogs 3 rabbits and a husband!). I have to run the business, not only by being present in the shop but also the buying, the admin, running the website, arranging staff rotas etc. Oh, almost forgot, trying to find some me time!
What do you think is the best thing about being a working mother?
The best thing about being a working mother is the satisfaction of being able to master the juggling act and the freedom to be yourself at work and enjoy talking to other people, when I was a full-time mum, I spent a lot of time having indepth discussions with the dogs!
How do you combine working with parenthood?
Now the children are older, I find things are a lot easier to manage. When I first opened the shop, they would come to work with me in the holidays or if they were ill, a DVD player and a supply of pick 'n' mix were a godsend. Now they walk home from school and do their homework (hopefully) before I get back to ferry them to various guitar, piano or drum lessons.
Describe your last Mother's Day
My last Mother's day was the same as any Sunday, a blur of cleaning, dog walking, washing and making sure everything was ready for school on Monday but with the addition of a much needed chocolate fix, a bottle of shiraz and a couple of cute cards.
Who is your heroine?
My heroine is very personal to me. My great aunt Ethel died in 1989 at the grand age of 94 having enjoyed the most adventurous life for a lady of her time. At the age of eighteen, in a time when only men of the upper classes attended university, she decided that she wanted to study French. She was one of only three female students in the whole campus. She later went on to live, unaccompanied in France in order to further her skills and become a teacher. Her one great sadness was that she never had any children of her own but found great joy in educating the children of others. She inspired me to believe that I could do whatever I wanted with my life.
If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing locally to improve the lives of working mothers what would it be?
My magic wand would be free childcare during school holidays and after school hours for all working mums. Childcare costs can be crippling and can prevent women from doing a job that they really aspire to.
What's your top tip for combining work and parenting?
Top tip for a working mum, try not to feel guilty! We would all like to be there for our children 24/7 but sometimes it just can't be.
How do you relax?
I find it hard to relax as a lot of my work comes home with me, paperwork and the website etc. However, I try to walk my dogs before work most mornings, I have a brilliant member of staff called Marie who opens the shop up for me so I don't have to be in first thing.
Where do you imagine yourself in ten years' time?
In 10 years time you will still find me with my nose in a catalogue or roaming around a trade show enjoying sourcing new and interesting products for the shop.
If you could change one thing about yourself/life, what would it be?
If I could change one thing about myself, I would train myself to stop worrying about trivial matters, fate always sorts things out in the end one way or the other.
www.thepatchworkcat.co.uk