Deborah Beau started her blog Kickan & Conkers in 2009. Since then, she’s been posting everyday (at least) about wonderful finds of all sorts : wooden toys, vintage dolls, paper design, books, illustrations and much more. Besides her prodigious blogging, Deborah Beau has also been an incredibly active networker, bringing together the best bloggers, creating links and building a nice community around her. It was time for Kickcan & Conkers to jump to the next step: an online store where one can buy her rare finds. Here’s a small selection of what you can find on Kickcan&Conkers’s shop, as well as answers to a few questions.

How old is your little store? Well, I’m delighted to say that the Kickcan & Conkers shop is one month old! My first mini-milestone there!

How did it all happen? I decided that I was going to open a small online boutique in June 2009 when I started writing my blog. I wasn’t entirely sure how I wanted it to look or what I wanted to sell but I knew that I had an eye for unusual finds and have always loved scouring flea markets and charity shops on both sides of the Channel. Over time, thanks to my blog and to the contacts that I have made, I decided that K&C would offer a mix of vintage and new for kids and the young alike. Both nostalgic and cutting-edge, yes,  I like that!

What’s in the store? My shop opened with a small selection of toys, books, dolls and decorative objects that I’d put together over the past two years. It was tiny to begin with but I ‘ve been adding new things on a regular basis and have lots in store for 2012. I really want to keep the K&C shop looking fresh, and as I’ve said elsewhere, I like the idea of it being a “visual treasure box”, somewhere that you’re dying to visit to see what’s new.

Your favourite pieces? I have always loved vintage toys and I am pleased to say that a lot of my favourite pieces sold in the first week. The 1950’s toy shop was the first thing I bought for the shop and funnily enough, it was the first thing I sold, which was very encouraging!

How do you plan to grow Kickcan & Conkers ? Vintage toys seem to appeal to my British customers in particular. However, I am very keen to promote new talent from all over the world and am pleased to be selling the work of young upcoming designers from the Czech Republic, Serbia, Latvia, Poland, Spain and France at present. This is an aspect of the shop that I really want to develop in 2012, so look out for new collaborations cover the coming months. I am especially interested in books and paper and cardboard toys, as you can see from my initial selection.

Where are your clients based? Despite my bad timing, opening just a week before Christmas, I am happy to report that K&C’s sales have been good so far and fellow bloggers and magazines have been very generous with their posts. So far, the majority of my customers are French, then British, Dutch, Spanish and American.  I was surprised to receive so many French orders as I mostly write in English on my blog, despite me having lived in the South of France for the past 25 years.

What is the most satisfying part for you? It’s exciting and my head is spinning with ideas! Before Christmas I decided to launch Kickcan & Conkers offline at a big Christmas market in the UK. I really wanted to see people’s reaction to my products and I wasn’t disappointed. This experience confirmed that I love discovering and promoting new talent. And I’m equally as happy when customers send me emails to say how much they love their purchase because it’s exactly what they were looking for.

A new K&C adventure begins…