How Square is helping this Temple Bar retailer build their online business.
Celebrating over 10 years in business, Tamp & Stitch is a quirky boutique that brings together delicious coffee and unique, designer pieces for men and women of all ages. Their edgy shirts and off-the-wall designs and prints are a far cry from your regular high street shops, while a lot of the jewellery is handmade by Dublin designers.
We caught up with Neil Barry, co-founder and owner of Tamp & Stitch to learn more about their business and how Square is helping them build a fully integrated presence to adapt to the new normal.
Bringing a business idea home
Neil and his business partner, Veronica, first got the idea for Tamp & Stitch from extended trips to Asia. Neil worked in hospitality while Veronica worked in imports and exports for a multinational at the time. With a passion and keen eye for finding unique prints, they began importing and selling their Asian-inspired designs and jewellery in pop-up shops, markets and restaurants around Dublin part time.
They fell into getting a brick and mortar presence by chance through the Temple Bar Cultural Trust, a Dublin City Council initiative to support local businesses in the city’s Cultural Quarter. The lower rent prices at the time gave Neil and Veronica the head start they needed to get the boutique up and running in one of Dublin’s busiest tourist spots.
Like many start ups, it took them a while before they started making a decent turnover as they both worked various part time jobs to support the boutique, but Neil describes the journey to where they are now as a labour of love.
“Having an independent Irish Retail store is a passion. It’s something that we both love doing and gets you up in the morning.”
Switching to Square’s Point of Sale
Tamp & Stitch were previously with SumUp from 2012, but switched to Square when they launched in Ireland last year. “I was looking for someone like Square to come along, who did everything from online integration to credit card processing”, explains Neil. After much frustration with their previous provider, Neil describes the switch to Square as very smooth.
“I haven’t had one issue with Square - it’s so much easier, fluid and a better experience overall. For a free POS system, it has everything we want - I love it!”
Getting set up online
The boutique didn’t have much of an online presence pre-pandemic bar selling through Facebook and Instagram. Neil previously used PrestaShop to build their website, but described the process as overly complicated. Within just weeks, they used Square Online to fully set up their new website.
“Square Online has made the website building experience very simple for me. It’s very intuitive from getting customers to look at your website to guiding them through to checkout.”
When they previously sold items online, Neil would have to check that they were taken off the shelf in the shop. However, with Square’s full omnichannel integration, he describes how the stock management will be a lot easier in the future.
“Plus, the staff are very familiar with using Square for Retail, so there’s no real training involved for switching to Square Online. The most important thing for building our online business is the app integration with Instagram and Facebook - with Square, the setup process is very straightforward.”
Looking ahead after lockdown
While their combination of high-end 3FE coffee and flattering designs and prints usually brings men and women of all ages to the boutique, the lockdown caused a massive drop off in footfall around Temple Bar. Looking forward, Neil and Veronica hope to get back to where they were in 2019.
“We’re looking forward to people coming into the shop in the Summer, picking up our cards and shopping online from all over Europe. The online presence will be key for us.”
To learn more about Tamp & Stitch, check them out on Instagram or visit them in-shop in Unit 3 Scarlet Row, Essex Street, Temple Bar.
Come for the fashion, and stay for the delicious coffee and ambiance.