An 18-year-old woman is launching her own second-hand vintage clothes and gifts shop in Loddon and will be donating up to 25 pc of all sales to a different charity each month.
Brie Bill-Eteson will be opening Breezy Boutique in Bridge Street tomorrow, where she will be selling clothes, furniture and gifts made from recycled materials.
The former Langley School student decided to open the shop during her gap year, having just finished her A-levels. She was due to travel to New York to gain some experience as a drama teacher, but when that fell through decided to pursue her love of textiles instead.
She said: “My mum saw a shop to let in Loddon so I decided to start making bits to sell over the summer.
“It just escalated from there and now it has turned into quite a big project.
“I make all my things from material I have at home or have been given like old curtains and I do up old furniture.
“I did textiles at GCSE and A-level and loved it.”
Miss Bill-Eteson has been working around the clock with the help of family and friends to get the shop ready for the weekend.
Up to 25 pc of her sales each month are going to be donated to charity.
She said: “The charity is going to be chosen by my customers and there is going to be a blackboard where people can write their suggestions. It will make it more of a community thing and I will choose a different one each month.
“It’s great because it works both ways. Because I get a lot of my materials donated to me it’s just a way of giving something back.”
Miss Bill-Eteson, who lives in Heckingham, had planned to audition for drama school after her break, but is now waiting to see how well her shop does.
She said: “It all depends on how well it goes and if it does work I would like to keep it going and make it a career.
“Drama school is still in the back of my mind but I just love the shop. It has become my baby.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the support of my family and friends and from the other businesses in Loddon - there’s a great community feeling.”
Miss Bill-Eteson will be opening her shop from 8.30am to 5pm seven days a week.
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