Would you shop at a childcare store run by a MALE Gruffallo look-a-like?

[BigBadWofie]

Found a tiny-weeny retail premises opposite an outdoor play area that's perfect for a very petite independent store promoting pushchairs, car seats, perhaps some books for children and other cool stuff :) Would love to sell some of the products recommended by mumsnetters (is that the appropriate collective noun?) BUT would you feel comfortable buying stuff like that from a 30yo man with an uncanny resemblance to a Gruffalo?

Planning on putting a ballpool and slide in one corner to keep the little ones occupied and have a little area in the opposite corner so the parents and I can discuss requirements over a and maybe a .

Please feel free to stamp all over the notion in the name of honesty. extremely enthusiastic about the idea. Selling is something that comes naturally to me without recourse to high pressure tactics etc. Fairly sure i don't come across as creepy (perhaps a little grumpy on a bad day)... So can i interest you in a cup of tea now mums (and dads)? ah go-on!

btw OP, any chance of your shop having a policy of keeping pink and blue unnecessarily gendered shit to the minimum? I would definitely shop there then

im afraid gruffallo is not known in this house but i presume your a big hairy man? kind of justin lee collins ish?

< disclaimer -total presumption >

as a PP said if a shops cool you dont really notice the staff plus as long as you know your stuff and can be friendly and helpful at the end of the day thats all that matters :) sounds like a fab idea by the way

Wow, thanks everyone. little bit in love with all of you. I already live in the woods, in a tree house no less. this is the first business I've ever started so fingers toes and elbows crossed. Yay i seem to have managed to avoid being frowned upon. Mums net and Mumsnetters rule. hell yayeah!

Sounds ideal, do you have purple prickles down your back?

yeah kinda like justin lee wotsit but with less hair on top. Thanks everyone for taking the time to hold my hand through the first hurdle. no doubt i'll be back for more advice.

I quite fancy the Gruffallo. Also the Tiger who came to tea, Daddy Pig, James the Engine and Aramis from the Muskahounds. Oooo, and Prince Valiant. And the fit one from the Thundercats.

Where will your shop be (as in roughly where in the world)? Are you equipped for a million Mnetters coming to see if you really do have terrible claws?

Sounds great - good luck. Looking like a Gruffalo would be a big bonus in my book.

Sue - do you mean Lion-O?

I believe I do, Kurri.

I think it might be an idea to get your nasal wart treated - there's the possibility it might burst and that wouldn't be particularly hygienic with all the baby products around. And you should probably wear some clothes too - people tend to frown upon unrelated adults being naked around small children!

I wonder if you could play up the Gruffalo thing, with permission from Julia Donaldson etc., you could stock all the books, merchandise etc.

How about a pic, OP, with your best Gruffalo grin?

I wonder if this thread had been started by a FEMALE gruffalo what the response would have been...

This one is more of a dating thread

[simper]
[simper]

Please excuse me if I don't manage to reply to all your Q's immediately but I will endeavour to answer them all in due course. Mumsnet novice I'm afraid. Since all the positive feedback I've closed the deal on the premises and am hugely busy planning interior decoration, signage, stock lists and legal stuff... Yayeah!

So here are some answers for all the wonderful mumsnet mammas who were so very kind after my moment of apprehension in the small hours of this morning. (please note that I am trying hard not to cross the line into advertising or promoting so forgive me if I refrain from giving specifics regarding location etc.)

No I do not have purple prickles or nasal warts (mostly) the Gruffallo likeness is mainly the big, brown, hairy occasionally scary thing & toothy grin to boot. Apart from bearing a resemblance I am also a massive fan of the Gruffallo books and plan on stocking more or less everything related.

SybilBeddows in answer to your query: Though I understand that some folk may like the Blue & Pink thing, these items are readily available elsewhere and I do not plan on having a place for gender specific merchandise in my particular store. :)

Would love to tell you all where the store is based but this would be a clear infraction of the no advertising/marketing/promotion ethic and as such I must refrain. Though I fully intend to come back to mumsnet cheque-in-hand to make proper use of promotional opportunities. :)

lionheart just added a photo to my profile (it's the only one i have I'm afraid) hope this satisfies your curiosity.

Finally, would like to express my immense gratitude to everyone who responded once again. :) In the early hours of this morning I turned to you for reassurance in the face of big scary decision day. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You've been tremendous. Heroes each and every one of you. Mwah!

I think you need to make your profile public OP. Don't ask me how though, I've never dared

Purple Prickles would be a great name for a store.

You sound like a great candidate for such a shop. As you've discovered, we Mumsnetters are quite fond of (well behaved) MALES on occasion.

Car seats might not be such a good option IMO. Unless you can provide enough space for decent choice and a "fit in car" type service... Rest sounds fab though. Will there be cake too

AntonDuBurk Thanks for the heads-up. Just made profile public.

Purple Prickles is a brilliant name (going on the board with the others just now). Was thinking the same thing about the car seats earlier today. Though a fitting service is exactly what I'd like to offer, it may have to wait until I get the store on it's feet with a web presence or perhaps even move to larger premises.

Not sure about well behaved... more that I am acutely aware of my place in the grand scheme of things and content to stay there. Oh yes... HELL YEAH there will be cake and not just Gruffallo cake... chocolate cake, apple and cinnamon cake... mmmmm.... CAKE :)

It hasn't worked!

You could tell us whereabouts you are, that wouldn't be advertising

I do see a resemblance (but in a good way).

I hope it goes well for you Mr Grufalo-Wolf.

Umm yeah, attempt to go public fell flat on it's face try again now though i would remind you that it's not the best photo in the world. somehow suddenly feel incredibly vulnerable... hmmm. Guess it wouldn't be pushing it too far to say that I'm located in the south east as it's already specified on public profile...

Just seen your profile - you are a very handsome chap (I can say that because I'm old enough to be your mum ) don't put yourself down - hope your shop is a big success for you

You also look jolly (my god, you're going to need to be!)

just realised i left an L out of BigBadWolfie. it seems to have caused issue with profile pictures and deets. hmmm. 4am shenanigans are not a good idea. cursed coffee. everything should be sorted now I think.

Thank you KurriKurri & lionheart you are too kind. veritythebrave Yep I currently spend much of my time living in a tree-house belonging to a close friend. not your average tree-house mind. more like a very nice hotel suite in the trees. doesn't have a proper bathroom though which is my fault as this is the bit I was supposed to help build. moving out as soon as things are settled with the new business and I've finished that bathroom off. shame, I'd gotten rather fond of being a tree dweller.

IMO we as human beings have a natural affinity for trees. think it may be the Japanese who came up with the concept of a 'tree shower' a form of meditation wherein the subject is required to lay under the canopy and quietly listen and observe, as the sounds of the leaves wash over them. try it, uttely amazing, particularly around summer and early to mid autumn.

why can't I see your profile? I want to see the prickles and the tree house

X posted . Mr Wolfie, it is driving me mad now - you do look like someone (and I don't mean your Dad). Which famous person do people say you look like? I'm crap at sleb names but I am confident it is Someone.

Do we get to see the treehouse too?