Britain’s youngest shopkeeper
AFTER giving up on his maths GCSE, Finley Hutchings is kept busy counting his profits as Britain’s youngest shopkeeper.
The gutsy 16-year-old left school with no qualifications but threw himself into making his town centre store a success.
Hutchings Emporium in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, sells antiques, tools, clothes and fishing equipment.
And it has made Finley the envy of his peers, most of whom are still at school.
Finley started selling “anything he could get his hands on” online during Covid lockdowns. He then turned his business into a high street fixture.
He said: “I can read, write and count money which is all I need really. I didn’t see much point in [school] any more.
“I never really enjoyed school much anyway, my head just wasn’t in the game for it and I never really had a drive to go into higher education.
“For a while I was still going to school and running the business in the evening. This year I just thought I’d go for it. I left school and I’ve never looked back.” Finley’s dad Mark is helping him at auctions until his son turns 18.
Mark said: “Some kids are naturally really into school, but he never has been. I’m very proud of him, it takes a lot of courage for someone of any age to take on and do something like this.
“He works seven days a week but he’s doing really well.”
Finley added:
“We’ve been astronomically busy, it’s been nuts. I’d like to thank the people of Tewkesbury who have been so supportive coming to visit. It’s doing really well so far and I’m excited to see how it goes.”