NewsAgent dresses up her shop in style

Retro look is proving to be good businesses for one retailer

A newsagent in Peterborough has given her shop a retro look by stocking fashions from the 40s and 50s. Marie Tweedie bought Werrington Village News, i n Church Street, a year ago but despairedattheslowturnover of traditional goods - such as pet food and shampoo - and decided a new flourish was required.

She said: “The newspaper sideofthebusinessdoesreally well. We sell papers to more than 200 people a day.

“But goods like pet food and shampoo just didn’t really move off the shelves.

“I’m very much into 1940s and50smusicandfashionand decided that I wouldusesome of the space to sell clothing, shoes and bags from that era.

“I contacted wholesalers whosaidtheycouldsupplyme andsincethentheideahasreally taken off.

Shesaid: “It has beengradually building up and I have even held several open days, which have helped bring in a lot of people.

“Some people have even turned up on scooters and we had a good number of them parked outside the shop.

“Customers seem to really like it.

“Some of them have even described it as a little Camden Market.”

Ms Tweedie has called the retro-side of the business At Last and it comes complete with fitting rooms for customers whowanttotryonthe clothing before buying.

Now she is hoping to grow interest fromfurther afield in her business venture.

Shesaid: “At the momentit is mostly my original customers who are coming in, which is great but it would be lovely to bring in custom from other areas.”