Grantham boutique relocates to bigger premises as business booms

A Grantham boutique has relocated to larger premises to meet growing demand.

Kelly Toulson opened Winnie's Boutique on Watergate in February 2020 specialising in ladies' and childrenswear.

She has now moved just a few doors up the road this week to 9 Watergate after needing more room to display her growing range of clothing brands including Portuguese and Spanish wear and toule skirts.

The 37-year-old said: "Opening a shop was never on my mind but we were presented with this opportunity and just went for it."

Despite opening just weeks before the UK was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic last year, Kelly saw her new business go from strength to strength during lockdown.

But it was not without its challenges at first.

The mum-of-four added: "I admit that I was really upset when we went into lockdown just weeks after opening. I think I cried for about a week as I didn't know what would happen. It was a frightening time."

Despite her initial concerns, lockdown gave Kelly the push to build a successful Facebook and Instagram page and she was soon inundated with orders.

She added: "I had to rely on social media a lot during those early days of lockdown and eventually launched a click and collect service. I also used the government grants that were available to businesses at the time to help us get back on our feet."

Kelly is grateful for the support she has received from the community, adding: "My landlord has been amazing and my customers have been full of positive comments. They love the new shop."

She is now looking forward to growing her business even more with the launch of new website.

She added: "I am also hoping to eventually expand upstairs to include menswear but for now I'm focusing on the shop and online pages."

For more information, search for Winnie's Boutique on Facebook and Instagram.