Our family-based company was started in late 2005 by Bill and Paula Wallace, a couple who have been working in the textile industry for many years. Bill is a business manager and Paula has been designing textiles since a teenager, and together they had a dream to build a bed linen business based on beautiful, quality cotton.
November the 10th 2010 officially marked the 5th anniversary of Wallace Cotton. On that day back in 2005 we posted our first catalogue to a database of only a few hundred, consisting largely of friends and family as well as a few potential customers. The entire office and warehouse was less than 200sqm, and we did not have a retail shop. Everyone pitched in to answer phones, unload trucks and pack orders.
The customer base grew steadily through marketing and word of mouth from happy customers. People began asking where they could go to see the products before purchasing, so we relocated to the current premises and opened a small store in Birkenhead in 2006. As the business and the range grew, we again found ourselves without enough warehouse space, so in 2008 leased the adjoining premises for extra office and warehousing and enlarged the store to its present size.
Also in 2008 we began marketing into Australia, and began adding many happy Australians to our customer list. Today we have over 5,000 customers in Australia, and one day soon we hope to open our first Wallace Cotton store in Australia.
The Newmarket store opened in January 2009 in the heart of New Zealand’s premier shopping district. It has introduced the brand to a lot of discerning customers, and has taken Wallace Cotton to High Street retailing alongside some of the leading fashion brands, and remains our flagship store.
2010 was a very busy year, with concession stores opening in Ballantynes and Arthur Barnett, the beautiful new Wellington and Takapuna stores opening, and then 3 new concessions opening in the 3 Home etc franchise stores in Palmerston North, Napier and Tauranga.
In March 2011 we converted the Birkenhead store into an outlet store, selling samples, seconds and sale items.
So after 6 years we now have over 45,000 people on our mailing list and we have 4 successful stores and 6 concessions within other stores. The warehouse and office have expanded to more than 1,200 sqm and we no longer hand-unload the trucks, a great relief to the girls in the office!
The Wallace Cotton brand has become synonymous with good design and quality, while also being affordable, and is now recognised by a growing proportion of the shopping public. The range has expanded and evolved with the growth of the company, but remains consistant with the aspirational but affordable values portrayed in that first catalogue in November 2005. |
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Paula & Bill Wallace
The Wallace Cotton philosophy is
all about creating beautiful home textiles for our customers,
whether renovating, nesting, buying, selling, entertaining
or down-sizing. We know how fabric can change the mood of a
room, and affect people’s moods as well, (doesn’t your heart
beat faster when you see a gorgeous cushion or the perfect print?) We
keep a worldly eye on the latest decorating trends, so that our
linen range will harmonise perfectly with your interior
design.
Our photography is designed to evoke the
spirit of each range, and we have been extremely lucky in
finding stunning locations for our shoots. There is a bit of
magic that happens when the textiles and product design
process has been finalised, then the perfect location pops up! We
use the wonderful Charlie Smith to photograph our ranges, who has amazing talent in both photography and art direction.
Most of our extended family and friends
help out as models, stylists, supplying locations or in
production. We love family and friends!
Each seasonal collection is designed around a selection of
gorgeous new pieces, as well as classic bedlinen that has
become the heart of our collection so that customers can
re-order their favourites.
Wallace Cotton remains proudly New Zealand owned and operated.
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