My name is Esme de Smit. I am 46 years old, mum of three kids and wife of Laurens Smit with whom I run the company from Rotterdam. I have never really been a planner and forward thinker. Actually with nothing. When I was little, I really didn’t know what I wanted to be ‘later’. So I didn’t necessarily dream of a life as an entrepreneur, I actually kind of fell into it. I really like it!
In 2008, I devised the event Mode Marche. A stock Sample Sale in which many well-known designers participated; Iris van Herpen, Mada van Gaans, Jeroen van Tuyl, Bas Kosters. I organised this event for twelve years and after a few editions, the area manager of Rotterdam Noord asked if we wanted to organise it there too. It would then become an outdoor event, while Mode Marche was organised in all kinds of art institutions (Booijmans, NAI, Maritiem Museum, etc.) I, together with the designers, did not like this. It did give me the idea of Swan Market; which did become a successful outdoor event. The first edition took place at Zwaanshals (hence the name) and it became a market with creative entrepreneurs with mostly homemade products, food trucks, music and a bar. Much later, the shops Swan Market grew out of that. We currently have branches in Rotterdam, Utrecht, Leiden, Delft, Breda and The Hague.
We have a broad target audience, consisting mainly of women. This applies to both our events and our shops. Couples, girlfriends going out for a day, mothers with daughters and families. We have hip young girls who are mainly interested in jewellery, clothes and sunglasses, but also women who are looking for something nice for the home. In addition, a very large part of our target group is looking for a cool gift.
We want to stand out from other interior and lifestyle shops, we want to be just that little bit different. We take this into account when selecting our offer. Our target group is diverse and so is their spending pattern. Therefore, we have products that are a bit more expensive, but also very affordable items. In the Swan Market shops, we sell about 65% self-made/designed products from various entrepreneurs such as Sera, Gekkigheid, Baagz, Your Fashion Secret and This is NOT a Pizza. The remaining 35% is creative sourcing and vintage. Brands we source for this from TICA include Present Time and Fidrio. As we therefore have a fairly broad target group, we find that this mix works very well.
Bowls, candles, vases and mugs always do very well and so I buy them again and again. When I’m at TICA, I do my ‘regular shopping round’, but I also check to see if I see any fun new brands or items. I do like eye-catching products and also take-away items or gift items attract my attention; these really connect well with Swan Market’s target group. I have been coming to TICA for over seven years and it is always an experience to do my shopping there.
Sure! TICA responds well to that. I will already have something in my head that I think will sell well and then I find it at TICA. That’s nice!
Coffee mugs and candles! These are the perfect items for our gift range. I also make dried flower bouquets in a small bottle; very nice!
