North Devon wool shop gets new lease of life thanks to start up loan

A mother and daughter team with a passion for all things crafty have breathed new life into a wool shop at Great Torrington Pannier Market thanks to a government-backed business loan.

Robin Nightingale and Claire Smith took on what is now Woolley Baa Baa in December after securing a £25,000 from the British Business Bank's Start Up Loans programme.

They discovered the haberdashery and wool shop was up for sale completely by chance while visiting local wool shops on Claire’s day off.

She said: “There aren't many wool shops around here, but we made a circuit of it because it was so intriguing and different.

“On the last one, we noticed a sign in the window: ‘Business for sale due to retirement’. We looked at each other and said, ‘shall we?’ I crunched the figures and decided we could do it.”

The shop sells everything anyone with the craft bug or tailoring and sewing skills, from yarns to quality fabrics, buttons and zips to gift sets.

Robin and Claire bought the shop as a going concern, took possession of the keys on December 1 and set about putting their own stamp on the premises, starting with a new name.

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Claire has revamped the shop window, with regular changing displays that have received plenty of great feedback from visitors. They have also been chosen to refresh the pannier market look with custom bunting.

Above: Claire and mum Robin, whose own mother used to help make dresses for the then princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

To fund their purchase, Claire explored the options online and discovered the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme, designed specifically to help fledgling companies.

She said: “A lot of lenders want you to be trading already, but Start Up Loans was different.”

As a trained accountant and a former police officer, Claire is used to writing case files with the correct information and she added: “My business manager said he didn’t need to amend anything on my business plan, which is apparently very rare.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do this without it. It made my day when I found out we’d got it.”

Claire and Robin have always shared a love of all things crafty and it runs in the family - Robin’s mother was employed as an apprentice in a London factory that made clothes designed by Norman Hartnell for the then Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

Claire said: “She learned all the processes involved in the creation of the outstanding designs, but was found to be most proficient in pattern-making.

“This involved ensuring the correct fit for the princesses, and my mother recalls my gran talking about how Margaret and Elizabeth had a great sense of humour.”

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The loan application was made via BizBritain, part of the British Business Bank's network of Business Support Partners.

Karl Willetts, senior loan proposer at BizBritain, said: “Working with Claire and Robin was an absolute pleasure - their enthusiasm for breathing new life into Woolley Baa Baa was evident throughout the process.

“Their vision and commitment made the Start Up Loan a perfect fit and it’s wonderful to see the shop thriving. We’re proud to have played a part in helping their business take this next step.”