Watcha Doin' Cato?

It's been a while since we last spoke to a Whatcha Doin' candidate. It's been a while since we've said anything at all actually but I am in the process of rectifying that. Worry not.   

With the intention of ending the year on a fuzzy and friendly high and of sliding nicely into 2010 with talk of an indie shopping revival in Glasgow's westend on our lips, let's talk to Alan Brooks. Who's Alan Brooks? Well. Alan Brooks is the fella who owns and runs 'Not Now Cato' – the latest addition to the city's vintage shopping circuit. Based on the upper floor of De Courcy's Arcade on Cresswell Lane, Alan is our new neighbour and our new friend. The Made In The Shade gals were thrilled to hear that there would be a vintage clothing shop operating opposite our very own Maisonette! Imagine! Alan had barely opened his doors for business but Clare had already earmarked half a dozen items and I had ring fenced a collection of shirts and blouses. And a cape. And a bag. And a stylophone. This was sure to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. In a mini sub-series of Made In The Shade blogs for The Skinny focusing on the relaunch of De Courcy's Arcade and indie shopping in Glasgow more generally, we'll be taking a look at some of our favourite business owners and tiny traders.  Stay tuned!   

----

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Alan. What's your background? How did you come to be involved in vintage fashion? 

My background, career wise, is pretty far from the world of vintage clothing. I was 25 years with BP, the last 10 years in the automotive LPG business. At the end of 2008 I accepted a voluntary redundancy package. Having sat around contemplating for a bit I decided to go back to my roots. Rewind to the mid-70s. My first ever job was in the retail clothing business and a number of subsequent positions were too. Probably most significantly, I spent a few years in The Slack Shack – one of the first jeans store chains in Glasgow – if not the first. 

I had always maintained an interest in the 'less mainstream' fashion market and my national role with BP gave me the opportunity to see what the scene was like in other major UK cities. I've always been drawn to shopping nooks found off the beaten track – the stores and boutiques in Manchester’s Northern Quarter being a great example. Affleck's Palace is just brilliant. The obvious similarities between Manchester and Glasgow lead me to believe that Glasgow could (and in fact should) have something similar for its style conscious denizens and the west end seems the obvious choice. Not Now Cato! is my small contribution. 

Your business is called Not Now Cato! Can you tell us a little bit more about the name? Where does it come from? Why did you choose it?    

The name is actually a line from the Pink Panther movies. Anyone who has seen the films should get it. For those who haven’t - Cato is Inspector Clouseau’s manservant and has been asked by Clouseau to ambush him from time to time to keep him on his toes. Cato always does this at inappropriate times resulting in the response, “Not now Cato!”

I just liked the sound of it. I was looking for something memorable and wanted to avoid a predictable “Vintage this” or “Retro that” type of name. On a subtle level it includes “not now” which seems appropriate for a vintage venture. 

Is Not Now Cato your full-time job?  Are you involved in any other projects?

Not Now Cato is without doubt a full time occupation now and leaves little time for anything else. 

Tell us about your work as a vintage clothing retailer... What inspires you? Favourite era? Favourite styles/design houses/fabrics? 

Inspiration comes from locating really interesting and unusual pieces. Pretty much the same motivation as a shop customer, just on a bigger scale.  Favourite era for me is gender specific. For guys it would be the style of late 50s America (the movie American Graffiti as a cue) and for the girls it would be the UK in the early 60s. 

What does a day in the life of Alan Brooks look like? What do you get up to? 

Up in the morning and at the shop from 11.00am till 6.00pm. It’s a 1 hour commute on the trusty old 44 bus - kind of defines my days at the moment. Since I've launched my new business venture, I have little free time to devote to anything else. Of course, I make a point of sneaky the off after work pint when I can and I try my best to get to as many gigs gigs as possible. I like my music venues as I like my shops I guess – small spaces only please! I hate the big sheds with a passion!   

Have you found any like-minds to bounce ideas around with? How do you keep motivated to develop your business? Are you a member of any vintage lifestyle networks or indie shopping networks? 

My wife Christina has a lot of input when it comes to the stock range at Not Now Cato and I have had some terrific help from an old friend’s daughters who love vintage wear. Richard Free, the owner of the Pop Boutique chain has been very supportive and his advice has helped me shape my shopping concept. My original intention was to have an exclusively male offer in response to the predominantly female focus that most vintage retailers traditionally have.  Advice from Richard and a several others has resulted in the near 50/50 mix in the shop. 

What are your hopes, dreams and aspirations for Not Now Cato?  What next? 

My hopes, dreams and aspirations have been pretty much achieved! I’m running a small operation that is great fun, low on the stress factor and gives me the freedom to make my own decisions (and mistakes). What more could you want? Although in saying that, the Not Now Cato logo would look quite good as a label.... 

Not Now Cato is situated on the upper floor of De Courcy's Arcade on Cresswell Lane (off Byres Road), Glasgow. The shop is open 7 days, 11am – 6pm.