Today we’d like to introduce you to Alix Attaway.
Hi Alix, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My mother and father started the store 31 years ago in Old Town Spring, Texas. My father is from Sheffield, England and had been living here for some time. He wanted a store that sold the food he missed from home. They opened a small store in Old Town Spring with just $500 worth of groceries and a lot of enthusiasm and drive. The store grew quickly with their time and effort and it also helped that we have a very large ex-pat population in Houston due to our diverse culture and the oil and gas industry. I grew up in the store from a very young age and started working there during high school. My father retired in January of 2021 and I bought the business from him. I’ve added my own touches and personality to the store since then. We did a remodel last year and added some fun installations. We have a British telephone booth outside for photos, the royal family is on our porch, a British & Texas theme mural is painted on one of our walls, and we have a door that looks like the Tardis from Dr. Who. Shopping at Goodwoods is an experience and something we strive to provide. When you come to shop, you never know what new items or fun things we will have added. In February of 2022, we opened our second location in Friendswood TX, to serve South Houston as well as North Houston. We kept to the theme of having fun installations as well as the largest stock of British grocery items in Texas. Whether you’re looking to throw a tea party, just browsing for something new to try, or you miss the food your mum would make, we’ve got you covered. I love being able to keep the tradition of the store alive and I look forward to serving another generation of customers and British Expats.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning a business is never a smooth road. A lot of it is learned as you try and fail and try again. My father helped prepare me for a year before I took over, but it was nothing like when it’s actually you in the driver’s seat. I’ve had small struggles like trying to get chocolate to Houston TX from the UK when it is 90 degrees here and British chocolate melts very easily. Another issue that we have faced this year is shipping. You may have heard and seen on the news, the shipping containers waiting offshore and not being able to dock. When that was going on, sometimes our shipments would be 1 week behind, sometimes 2 or 3. This may not sound like a lot, but when you are on the frontlines dealing with customers who want their products and are not always understanding about it, two weeks is very stressful and you can lose customers over it. Most of our customers were able to understand the situation and give us grace, but it was a stressful time to get through. We dealt with it, by just facing the music and being very upfront with every customer. Explaining to them the situations we were dealing with and asking for their understanding.
A more personal obstacle or challenge I had to face was that I found out I was pregnant in August of 2021. I had 9 months to get my business in good order so that it could survive a month or two without me being there. Most small business owners are the life force of their company. It was not unusual for me to work 7 days a week for months at a time. There is always something to be done, a new idea to bring to fruition… always more more more. In order for me to have both stores still run smoothly while I was gone, I had to make quite a few changes. I started training up my manager Caitlyn, and giving her more of my roles. I switched over our POS System to one that would more easily allow us to process online and in store orders with less steps, as well as give me better analytics and tools that I could view from home. I hired more employees and created written out processes on how to do things, so that they would have more guidance and not be just dependent on me. I’m actually still on maternity leave as I write this from my home office with my 3-week-old baby girl next to me. My employees and managers have been amazing and the store is running successfully without me there. I am able to work and help them from home, but most of the time they tell me to stop and go be with my baby! It’s been really nice to have that stress of “oh no, what’s going to happen when the baby comes” lifted off my shoulders and have this time with my new baby.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Something that I am very passionate about is helping out my community. I love that my business not only gets to bring international foods to people that are missing them from home, but I can also help serve them in other ways. I am very involved in the community I live in, serving on the PTO and helping out at any local events or activities. I never say no to anyone that asks for a donation or service from us, if it is something that will help the community. This year we have been able to help and support The Daughters of the British Empire, Friendswood Junior High, Windsong Intermediate, The Houston British Brass Band, The ICC Cricket World Cup being played in Pearland, Bales Intermediate, and The Friendswood Education Foundation, to name a few! If it is something that adds to the community that we live in, count Goodwoods in! I feel so blessed to be able to serve the community that also supports me. After all, where would we be without them?
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love the diversity and culture of our city the most. We have something for everyone here. From the Ghandi District, to the museum district there is so much to see and be a part of, in all spectrums of life.
Of course, what I dislike the most is how long it takes to get anywhere!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.britishmarket.com
- Instagram: @britishmarket
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/britishmarket | www.facebook.com/GBMfriendswood
Image Credits
Stephen Champagne
