The Interview: Steve English, Owner, Cooshti, on celebrating the store’s 30th anniversary
Cooshti in Bristol is one of those increasingly rare retailers which has hit 30 years of trading and is still going strong as an independent, having successfully navigated through various recessions along the way, not to mention the Covid pandemic. All while adapting the business as online shopping increasingly became more important, but still importantly making sure its bricks and mortar store at 57 Park Street is very much still relevant and part of its local community, with a strong base of customers out to find the freshest streetwear. Founder and Owner Steve English tells us how he’s survived and thrived.
How does it feel to have been in business for 30 years?
It feels like a life sentence! But seriously, I started the business when I was 23 in 1993 and I never imagined I would still be running it 30 years later. I’m still doing what I love and I’m actually really proud to have been continuously trading as an independent business for so long, without ever going bust or having to bring in investors. There’s been some hard times over the years, but I’ve not been prepared to give up. Call it grit and determination. At the moment, we seem to be on quite a nice even footing. The student population of Bristol has grown significantly – including international students - and they all live around our area, so that’s really helped.
How has the business evolved?
Well, we started out on the back of the early 90s Hip Hop, club and rave scenes, as well as the birth of the street art movement as we held exhibitions and displays of work by some prominent local artists. We’ve always tried to remain true to our roots and the street fashion that is associated with urban culture, which has evolved but has remained relevant to this day. In fact, it’s probably even more relevant now, as when we started out it was a lot more niche – now it seems that’s where a lot of the brands want to be. The store has grown organically from strength to strength over time.
Of course, back then there was no internet and very little software available for running a store. The advances in technology have brought challenges, but they have ultimately made things easier, helping us to run a more professional operation. Also, the advent of e-commerce and social media has helped to get our name and products out there to a wider audience.
What brands did you originally start out with in 1993 and how did that grow?
We started out stocking Duffer of St George, Boxfresh and a handful of skate brands like Vision Streetwear, Powell Peralta, G&S, Santa Cruz and Vans. After a few years we managed to bring in Stüssy, which was always top of my wish list.
Then, later in the 90s, Diesel and Adidas Originals were followed by Carhartt, Nike and Air Jordan in the early 2000’s - which we stocked for nearly 20 years. Sadly, Nike’s one of the only brands we’ve lost involuntarily thanks to a change in their distribution policy, which now seems to exclude smaller independents. Our door is always open to them though!
How would you best describe your business and who is the real target customer?
We’re an authentic independent streetwear and lifestyle store which has become a Bristol institution. The target customer has always been youthful, but we still have customers who’ve shopped with us since day one. Nowadays age isn’t a barrier to wanting to be on trend, so we try to cater to discerning customers from their late teens up to middle age.
What percentage of sales are online these days compared to in-store?
About 70% in-store and 30% online. The online sales have lots of potential to grow with more marketing, and we’re planning to change platforms and revamp the webstore soon, but I like the fact that the store sales are higher and that’s what has been growing at the fastest rate recently. I think that, after the lockdowns and everyone having to shop online, customers really appreciate the in-store experience now, and shopping with independents particularly.
Are you in the original shop?
We’re actually in our fourth location. The first Cooshti store was in was a tiny thin Tudor building with four floors on Bristol’s Colston Street, near the top of The Christmas Steps. We had clothing and DJ mix tapes on the ground floor, and a street art gallery and hang out space in the basement, with DJ decks and table football. Upstairs we had the office, and a guy making handmade leather goods in the attic.
I only took a short lease to start with and after about a year the landlord wanted to sell the building, but I couldn’t get a mortgage being such a young business. I was then offered the first floor above a Red or Dead shoe shop franchise on Park Street, and so we moved there alongside a record shop called Fat Rat Records, which was run by a friend of mine.
After a couple of years, the Red or Dead franchise closed and we moved into BS8, also on Park Street, which was a multi-unit store with lots of different clothing retailers. We were only there for about six months, and then in 1996 we found our current store at 57 Park Street. It’s a Georgian building with lots of original features and bags of character. We originally let out the back part to another record shop called Breakbeat Culture, as we’ve always been intertwined with Bristol’s music culture. However, we soon needed all the space and they moved on to their own store.
What’s it like being one of the independent survivors after what’s happened to the likes of Wellgosh and Oi Polloi?
Well, I’m sad for Leicester and Manchester, but as far as we’re concerned I hope that it may bring us new opportunities, with tiers and brands that want to be stocked by a true independent. When I say tiers, I mean that a lot of the sneaker companies tier their product, as in which stores they allow to buy in to certain styles. If you’re a ‘statement door’, you’re able to access stuff that they are not going to sell to everyone. Both Wellgosh and Oi Polloi would have had a lot of those top tier products, so we’re hoping that some of the brands will be looking for other regional good independents to stock those products.
What’s your take on getting into bed with the big boys such as JD Sports and Frasers Group (previously Sports Direct)?
Well, the same thing happened to one of our recent competitors in Bristol, Five Points, who I think sold a majority to Sports Direct group and then it was closed within a year or two after, which I was less sad about! I don’t understand why they buy into these stores only to close them, unless it’s to try to eliminate the competition. Or maybe it’s just a change of strategy at the top.
How important to your business is it to still be firmly independent?
I feel it’s really important for our customers and staff alike. People like shopping with and working for true independents, it’s what gives the high street the variety it needs and stops cities and towns becoming clones.
What are your best-selling brands these days and why do you think they are so important and relevant to your customers?
Carhartt & Stüssy are the top two, and they’re both important as they both have authentic heritage and yet remain totally relevant to generations of customers by staying true to their roots and aesthetic.
What products are currently flying out?
Well, every drop of Stüssy sells out really fast as distribution is super tight and we’re allocated a limited amount. That helps to keep it ‘grailed’ – a street fashion term for highly sought after and hard to get - and stops it from burning out. On the sneaker front, New Balance is really selling well and we’re also selling a lot of YETI products at the moment.
What have you got planned in celebration of the 30th anniversary?
We have a window graphic with Cooshti XXX 30th Anniversary, and there will be graphics for each of the collaborations we have lined up. We recently launched MessyWeekend x Cooshti sunglasses – the first collaboration for the 30th anniversary, and we have more in the pipeline (Steve is pictured wearing the glasses in the main image). We’re working on one with HUF, which hopefully won’t be far off, and also some T-shirt collaborations with some internationally renowned Bristol artists, including Inkie and Mr.Jago, which we’ll release together with a print exhibition at the store. We’re also doing a collaboration with Carhartt WIP, which will release towards the end of the year.
Additionally, we’re planning a big party for the actual birthday which will be in early December. We’ll invite all our industry contacts, as well as friends and customers. It will involve lots of our mates from the Bristol music scene and may include some big names. It will be multi genre, with music from the early 90s up to today with the theme “93 ‘til Infinity”.
What new brands are you bringing in for AW23 that you are excited to be adding into the mix?
We have Nanga from Japan, Frizmworks from Korea and Danner boots from the USA amongst others, and we have more new brands lined up for SS24.
How important is social media to keep your customers informed of new products and give reasons to visit the shop or website?
Social media is great for our profile and highlighting new products. We find Instagram to be the most useful as it’s such a visual tool and generally a positive space. If only the algorithms would show your posts to a bigger percentage of your followers, as it used to!
What other plans do you have going forward?
We’ll be changing our web platform and rebuilding the website soon, as well as developing our own Cooshti branded clothing line and headwear – some specifically for the 30th anniversary, as well as more collaborations. We’ve done some of our own T-shirts and sweatshirts in the past, but we want to expand our lifestyle offering as well as keep bringing in exciting new brands. However, it’s hard to fit them all in our current store, so if the right store came up on Park Street we might be interested in a move to a slightly bigger store. We definitely don’t want to change our locality, as Park Street is on the up again and we wouldn’t want to be in some shopping centre or mall.
We’re between the university and the city centre, away from where all the high street chains are. When they redeveloped the main shopping area a few years ago, for a while Park Street seemed to have slower footfall than it had previously. A lot of stores closed – there used to be a lot more independents on the street, back in the early 2000s certainly. As one by one went, it felt like we were the last ones standing for a while. But now we’ve got loads of new vintage stores and the street seems to have a buzz again. Our aim is to keep on trading successfully and doing what we love – 93 ‘til Infinity!
