Andy Munns
Salisbury’s High Street has been home to a variety of unique businesses for hundreds of years and for the last forty, Casa Fina.
Those four decades have seen many changes both in the city and in retail, no more so than in the last five years when local businesses have faced Novichok, Covid and the cost of living crisis – so any anniversary is a cause for celebration for a small independent.
Casa Fina has had to constantly reinvent itself to keep up, changing from the Mediterranean look of the eighties store to a more contemporary mix of interior accessories in 2023.
Susi Mason and her team in the shop are looking forward to a build-up of celebrations culminating in the launch of their Christmas collection on November 2nd.
There will be lucky tickets given to all customers spending over £20 in October where the prizes are anything from free gifts to discounts and entry into a prize draw.
Salisbury BID spoke to Susi about her time at Casa Fina over the last 40 years.
What was the inspiration for Casa Fina?
Back in the Eighties, my mother was widowed and facing an empty nest. She was looking for a challenge and had a favourite interiors shop. Having become friendly with the owners she made the huge step of moving to Salisbury and opening Casa Fina.
Our first Sale
It’s too long ago to remember the details but in 1983 we sold a lot of Spanish and Italian ceramics so it might have been a 4′ hand-painted leopard, an urn piled high with oranges or a woollen Pupo rug.
Our first Customer
So many customers remember those early days, we have some who remember having wedding lists at the shop or who reminisce about visiting with their mother while still at school so I’d like to think that our first customer may well be one of our current customers – we’d love to hear from anyone who visited us in 1983.
Our last Customer
A local couple who have been redecorating and were looking to add some new touches to their current home accessories. They brought in a lamp, and we tried on all sorts of shades in order to find the perfect one. While browsing they also spotted the perfect picture for their hall and also replaced an Emma Bridgewater mug that had been broken that morning.
When did you realise you might have got the right ingredients to make your business such a success?
Neither my mother or I had any previous experience in running a business but when people started to come in to say how much they loved our windows, how they liked to come in to browse amongst the beautiful things and how Casa Fina was their favourite shop we knew that we were doing something right.
Personal highlights over the last 40 years?
We adore Christmas at Casa Fina and I’ve loved all the fabulous window displays which always attract lots of attention. Each year it gets harder to be different but I know what’s in the 2023 one and it’s going to be another beauty.
In 2022 Casa Fina was featured on the BBC show Interior Design Masters and we loved the design that Fran Lee came up with. Fran has been back to Salisbury many times and it’s always lovely to see her.
How have you survived the dips?
Over 40 years there have been many but none as severe as the Novichok incident, Covid19 and the recent cost of living crisis. To get through these we have never stood still – our stock has evolved over the years to suit our customer’s tastes but without compromising on good design, quality and value with changing displays each showing a fresh curated offering.
Forty years in High Street retail is a testament to the way that Casa Fina has moved with the changing fashions and tastes of its customers. In the 1980s our clean-cut Mediterranean style was fresh and different and appealed to people wanting to make their interior style stand out as innovative and unique. The handmade ceramic pieces with encrusted flower decorations in a palette of pastel colours began to look outmoded in the mid-nineties so we moved towards the ‘lifestyle’ model stocking jewellery, scarves and handbags which appealed to our mainly female customer base.
By 2015 the lifestyle model was repeated everywhere, and Casa Fina had to change once again in order to survive. We had a revamp in store and recognising that at home I loved mixing vintage and antique pieces with new purchases I began sourcing high-quality glassware and china, nearly exclusively English-made, to mix into our displays. We now also attract a younger clientele who appreciate handmade British products and love the way that they can achieve this fusion style with preloved pieces.
What might you have done differently if you started out all over again?
I would make myself do training courses each year for personal development – it would be so useful to have more skill in graphic design or photography.
What impact has the social media revolution had on your business over the last 15 years?
It is so important to stay in contact with our customers and social media has revolutionised that. We have healthy Facebook and Instagram accounts. Through lockdown our small online shop was useful, and we stayed in touch with customers via our posts. We love it when people add their comments, and we have social media friends all over the world.
What would be your one top tip to surviving and succeeding in business?
You are unlikely to succeed if you hate what you are doing so make sure you stay in love with your business. This might be through training, rebranding, restyling your store or just by making sure that you have time away from the constant demands of email and social media.
