A new upholstering and furniture shop opened in Letchworth at the weekend, and BID manager Tom Hardy hopes it can help reinvigorate the town centre.
Love & Chairish – run by Louise Butler, her sister-in-law Laura Stearman, Miranda Hibbert and Louise’s mum Sue Butler – opened at 9 The Arcade on Saturday, with five per cent of the first day’s takings going to Garden House Hospice Care.
More than 150 customers came through the door, with 10 per cent off on all items – and speaking on behalf of the team, Stevenage-based Louise said they ‘couldn’t have chosen a better location’.
She said: “We have had a lot of support from everyone in Letchworth. Our grand opening was a huge success and very overwhelming – we’re a bit star-struck by the whole thing.
“We can see we will do extremely well in Letchworth and have an amazing future ahead of us. We couldn’t have chosen a better location.
“We even had some customers come down especially from Lincolnshire on Saturday who had followed us on Facebook. They said how beautiful Letchworth was and will be returning.”
Love & Chairish has come to town after a spell based in a barn in Knebworth, where they built up a large online customer base.
Town centre manager Tom Hardy said: “The shop sells some really fashionable items and they’ve brought quite a big following.
“Hopefully that’ll increase the footfall in The Arcade and put it back on the map in Letchworth town centre.”
North Herts District Council chairman Councillor John Booth and Ian Cotterill from the Heritage Foundation were there alongside Tom to formally cut the ribbon and declare the shop open.
Tom added that a children’s hairdresser is set to open in The Arcade next month, with a children’s clothes shop following in May.
Louise said about £180 was raised for the Letchworth-based hospice on the day – and Jordan Russell from Garden House said they were very grateful.
Jordan said: “The atmosphere was great when I visited on Saturday and the shop looked absolutely beautiful.
“I wish them every success in their new venture, and am very grateful for their help spreading awareness of the hospice. This will help us continue to provide free care to the community.”
To find out more about Love & Chairish, see their Facebook page at facebook.com/uphosteryandfurniturestore or look up @LoveChairish on Twitter.
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