The owner of The Pencil Case on Eastgate has been shortlisted at the inaugural Vale of Glamorgan Business Awards in September. 

Sally Stephenson, 48, has been nominated in the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' category for her work in growing the business, which opened in 2014 after she moved to the area from Nottingham.  

Mrs Stephenson's love of stationery started when she was a little girl. "From the age of about 11, I always dreamed of owning my own stationery shop as I've loved stationery since I was tiny," she says. 

"So, when we moved to Cowbridge in 2011, I jokingly told my husband 'I think I'll open my shop here!' Fast forward to 2013, everything was aligned and there was a gap in the market for me to start my new chapter." 

Mrs Stephenson's love of stationery started when she was a little girl and she always wanted to open her own shop. (Image credit: Sally Stephenson - The Pencil Case)

In the summer of that year, Mrs Stephenson left her job at The Royal Mint in Llantrisant to embark on her new venture, drawing up a business plan and searching for a spot in Cowbridge to set up shop.  

Eventually, she found the Eastgate location and was immediately presented with an exciting business opportunity. "The site used to be a sports shop and the previous owners used to stock school uniforms for Cowbridge Comprehensive School and two local primary schools," says Mrs Stephenson. 

"They asked whether I wanted to take on the uniforms and I had to go away and think about it. I had a chat with my husband and we realised it was a brilliant idea. 

"Already, there were three school uniforms stocked there and you've got guaranteed footfall there, especially in the summer." 

While builders were preparing the shop for its opening, Mrs Stephenson found herself operating a school uniform business from the boot of her car. "The first three months, I was a bit like Del Boy meeting parents at school gates and car parks with boxes of uniforms in the back of my car," she says. 

"But that's how I got to meet a lot of our regular, loyal customers by visiting them in the playgrounds and handing over the uniforms." 

Once The Pencil Case opened in March 2014, more parents from other local schools were requesting for their uniforms to also be stocked. This led to building more relationships with other schools and, today, the shop stocks uniforms for 11 primary schools as well as Cowbridge Comprehensive School.  

The same happened with stationery as the business started to stock more ranges as a result of having conversations with customers, and understanding what they wanted. "We've been very driven by our customers, listening to what they want and asking what more we could do for them," says Mrs Stephenson. 

Mrs Stephenson with The Pencil Case's new van that she picked up this week. (Image credit: Sally Stephenson - The Pencil Case)

This is one of the reasons why Mrs Stephenson has been shortlisted as 'Entrepreneur of the Year'. She first heard about the Vale of Glamorgan Business Awards through an email from Nia Hollins, senior rural regeneration officer at the Vale of Glamorgan Council, that was sent to a number of traders across the county. "I just looked at it and thought 'why not?', she says. 

Richard Ballantyne, the owner of Noble Grape on Cowbridge High Street, has also been shortlisted for 'Entrepreneur of the Year'. "I'm so excited about the nomination!", says Mrs Stephenson. 

"When you're running your own business, you're just so head down in the day-to-day all of the time, turning the wheels and making things happen. 

"So, it's lovely to do something like this, where I can step back from the day-to-day and think 'actually, we're really good at what we do!' It's easy to forget to celebrate your achievements when running a business because it's always so busy, especially now with the back-to-school uniform season. 

"Even going through the application process was a nice couple of hours to step back and reflect on everything through the questions they've asked." 

Other key areas that make Mrs Stephenson a worthy nominee are The Pencil Case website's relaunch in December 2020, where total sales are now 25-30% of the business compared to 4% before. Online sales are a key focus for Mrs Stephenson over the next 12 months. 

In addition, the helium balloon and decorations side of the business started to grow substantially during the COVID-19 lockdown, and this has continued with the help of other local businesses. "It's nice that we can work with restaurants and other businesses in Cowbridge with any events they have coming up," says Mrs Stephenson. 

The helium balloon and decorations side of The Pencil case has continued to grow after its surge in lockdown. (Image credit: Sally Stephenson - The Pencil Case)

"They also tell customers to come to us for any decorations and balloons, so that's what we're working on over the next six months is formally working with the local restaurants, cafés and pubs so we can supply the decorations and balloons for their customers when they have an event."  

So, what would winning the award mean to Mrs Stephenson and the future of The Pencil Case? "From a personal view, when I speak to the children that come into the shop, especially the young girls, I tell them about how I dreamed of opening my own stationery shop at around their age and one day they could do it too," she says. 

"It's really nice to inspire the youngsters, especially kids who are a bit more entrepreneurial-minded. I'm very lucky to deal with the customers I deal with because it doesn't feel like a job. 

"It just feels like we have the most fantastic time day after day!"  

The Vale of Glamorgan Business Awards will be held on Friday, September 16 at the Vale Hotel & Resort in Pontyclun. 

Browse The Pencil Case website here.