Fabric Shop / Assistant Manager

Hours: 40 hours per week - to include one weekend day per week. Full time, permanent position preceded by a 3 month trial period. Hours – 5 full days per week (Tuesday to Saturday) based in our Islington premises.

Ray Stitch is a small independent business based in Islington. Since we established in 2009, we have become a highly individual brand selling high quality fabrics, and a curated selection of haberdashery and sewing accessories. We offer a friendly, personalised service to the many visitors to our busy high street shop, taking the time to advise customers on anything from fabric and pattern selection to construction and finishing techniques. Our well-stocked shop is a hub for many varied fabric enthusiasts – home-stitchers, costume designers, fashion students and crafters of all kinds. We stock fabric from many well-renowned sources and also have a wide range of fabrics developed exclusively in-house, making our offering truly unique. Our Islington shop incorporates a sewing school with classes running regularly throughout the week. As the sewing bug rapidly spreads, we teach beginners and advanced sewers alike with a wide range of classes to appeal to everyone.

We are seeking a highly organised and proactive individual, with a good working knowledge of fabric, textiles, and sewing to assist in the management of this thriving business. Our successful applicant will report directly to our Shop Manager and take on responsibilities to assist them with various elements of the day to day workings of Ray Stitch. The candidate should be someone who understands the challenges faced by independent brands in uncertain times and feels passionate about strengthening and driving the business forward.

Skills and Experience Required

• Previous relevant work experience is essential.
• Commercial: Applicants must possess a commercial awareness and a reasonably good knowledge of similar businesses operating within the sector, fabric shops, pattern brands, etc. Excellent organisational and IT skills will be required with a high degree of accuracy and strong numerical and analytical skills. In this area you will be required to:
• Keep ahead of stock levels and identify good and bad sellers.
• Create and maintain stock databases and cost sheets.
• Work with existing software and quickly understand new software.
• Be alert to systems which need updating to increase efficiency.
• Demonstrate excellent customer service skills and a willingness to go the extra mile.
• Be responsible for overseeing and maintaining the premises in good order.
• Creative: Applicants must have a good knowledge of fabric and textiles with some creative/design training or work experience. Also, essentially, a good eye for styling and visual promotion. In line with the brand aesthetic you will be required to:
• Arrange mannequin and general shop displays.
• Create content for social media posts and visual promotions.
• Team Skills: We are a small team and proud of our open-minded and welcoming workplace. As Assistant Manager you will have a hardworking and positive approach to work, you will also be a ‘people person’ who finds it easy to get on with everyone, is flexible and accommodating but can also delegate jobs and take on responsibility. You will be able to:
• Build and maintain strong individual working relationships with your colleagues.
• Lead by example, being at all times conscientious and reliable and prepared to get stuck in with day to day tasks.
• Motivate and inspire staff to run an efficient shop and ensure that customer service is kept to a very high standard.
• Be responsible for the ongoing development of colleagues, through training, mentoring and providing feedback in partnership with the Manager.

Ray Stitch is a very special place to lots of people, whether it be the staff who work here, the students who attend classes, or the customers who purchase our fabrics. This is a fantastic opportunity for a sociable person who loves people and sewing in equal measure, is highly organised and thrives when working on multiple projects at once, stays calm when something upsets the plan and relishes having a problem to solve.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds, regardless of their race, disability, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and caring responsibility. We are committed to offering a working environment where everyone is valued and feels appreciated.