Entrepreneur mums face the crisis

Entrepreneur mums face the crisis with an original idea, between a shop and an itinerant activity, to find a third way, that of an “itinerant shop.”

The experience, signalled us by a reader, is called Begrace and was born by three women, Grazia Bensi, Grazia Guenzani and Michela Rossi, in their search for an activity to conciliate work, children and creative expression. They have tried with a fashion busines for children, united at a very particular commercial network: that of an itinerant shop, that moves from one space to another.  

“The Begrace idea was born by me and by Grazia Guenzani, who is keen on style and shopping. We took advantage of the opportunity provided by one my aunts, owner of an industrial stylist laboratory, who proposed to us to produce a small line of children clothes in yarn. A very homely beginning”, explains Grazia Bensi. They started in two, both mums of two children, one working in a business consultant office, the other in the alimentary health and certification sector. “Then, the third member joined us, Michela Rossi, and in March 2009, we have composed our collaboration.” Begrace, in the sense to be graceful, but also (read in Italian) twice Grazia, since the first two members are called in this way.

“We didn’t want a shop, because it represented a fixed cost and demanded time to be managed. And so, we invented the itinerant shop: we have started using shops and spaces of acquaintances, then we have started to travel to other spaces”, goes on Grazia Bensi. From Gallarate they went to Varese, but they have proposed their “temporary sales” also in other places in Lombardy. Also the choice of the spaces represents another curiosity, considering that in addition to some clothes shops, putting up their sales are also furnishing shops and beauty centres, even a showroom in the “Salone del Mobile”. Our sales, that go on about two or three days, become a calling occasion, they are also seen as a curiosity. We say that it often becomes an advantage also for whom puts us up, (in the picture, a sale with actor Massimo Bulla as guest and animator of the activity for children). Among the next temporary sales, the Varese one, by Christel, will also have a social end, since a part of the proceeds will be donated at the Ponte del Sorriso.

Attention however: the temporary sales, (in the picture, into a beauty centre), represent only the curious aspect of a real industrial production activity. “In addition to fiscal aspect, we had to learn to manage the production of the collections, without knowing anything before, since we worked in other sectors”. From desigin clothes for children to see it realised and manufactured is not a short step. Paradoxically, the choice to launch in a productive activity in a crisis period has become an advantage: “At the start, when we have started, we had more difficulty. Today, the companies need to work and do not also disdain quantitatively limited productions as ours are.” The idea of the itinerant shop has demonstrated itself as a winner, more so that Begrace for the next autumn–winter will also become vendor of some known labels of children fashion.