Why I decided to give up my warehouse

Over the past few weeks, I’ve already shared a little on Instagram and in my newsletter about some of the changes happening behind the scenes at Cuteness. Last week, I gave notice on my warehouse and I’m now busy, with your help, reducing my stock.

There’s a reason behind this decision, of course. So I’d love to tell you a little more about why I made this choice and what will be changing over the coming months.

From my attic to a 60 m² warehouse

Over the years, Cuteness has grown a lot, and so has my stock. Years ago, I moved Cuteness from the attic at home to a 25 m² space. Not long after that, I moved again to my current 60 m² warehouse.

Having such a large space is great (and so is having all that room for kawaii goodies 😉), but it also comes with considerable fixed costs.

Recently, revenue has decreased while costs have continued to rise. Not only the cost of the products themselves, but also things like shipping costs from Japan and, of course, fixed expenses such as rent and subscriptions. Purchasing stock has also become more unpredictable.

On top of that, something else happened this year: new European packaging regulations. Partly because of this, I have decided to ship only within the Netherlands for the time being. That, of course, also affects Cuteness.

All of this made me realise it was time to take another look at how I want to run Cuteness.

Moving to a smaller space

To reduce my fixed costs, I decided to give up my current warehouse. My goal is to eventually move to a smaller and therefore more affordable space.

But before I can do that, there’s one thing that needs to happen first…

A LOT of stock needs to go. 😅

So for the coming months, my main focus will be on clearing out the warehouse. I’m going to take a good look at which collections and categories I want to continue with and which ones it’s time to say goodbye to.

For example, I have decided to stop selling letter paper. You will therefore find the letter paper now at 50% off in the sale.

More and more goodies will be added to the warehouse clearance in the coming period.

As you may know, I only purchase a limited stock of most items. If something is sold out, it usually doesn't come back. From now on, I will be even more critical about what I do and don't purchase.

Less stock, more thoughtful choices

Cuteness is going to become a little smaller, at least when it comes to the amount of stock I keep.

In the past, I was able to buy lots of different products and larger quantities. Going forward, I want to be more thoughtful about that. Less stock, a stronger focus on what really fits Cuteness, and no longer feeling like the warehouse always needs to get fuller and fuller.

Luckily, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any new goodies. 💕

I still love discovering adorable new items and special Japanese characters way too much for that! I simply want to run Cuteness a little differently: smaller, more manageable and with lower fixed costs.

A new chapter for Cuteness 💕

Cuteness has been around since 2007, and throughout all those years, the shop has continued to change along with me. This feels like another one of those moments.

The coming months will mainly be about clearing out the warehouse, reducing my stock and eventually moving to a smaller space.

What exactly will Cuteness look like after that? I don’t completely know yet either. And maybe I don’t need to have all the answers straight away.

For now, I’m taking things one step at a time. ✨

Thank you for every order, every sweet message and everyone who has been following and supporting Cuteness for all these years. Every order literally brings me one step closer to moving into a smaller space.

Here’s to a new, slightly smaller, but just as kawaii chapter. 💕

Best wishes,
Mai