Home decor shop to open in South Street

Last minute preparations were being put in place today ready for the opening of a new home decor shop in South Street tomorrow (Saturday, November 5, 2016).

The shop, formerly occupied by a florist, is a labour of love for Caistor couple Helen and Mike White, who live in Nettleton Road. Mike, whose nickname is “Butch”, grew up in Caistor and is well known in the town. Helen works locally as a part-time teacher.

“We’ve had the idea for ages and have been looking for premises for some while,” said Mike, who was busy unloading packages at the shop opposite The Cornhill earlier today. “For the past ten years or so, we moved a lot of times and have done up a lot of houses – not as a business, just as part of our home life. The shop is just an extension of Helen’s passion for home interiors, really.”

Though he was obviously busy, Mike cheerfully invited the Citizen to enter and take some photographs. At the time, the front windows were covered with paper and the interior could not be seen from the outside.

While the layout is compact, this is a shop where visitors are likely to want to browse for a very long time. It is full of individually crafted items, skilfully made, which would add rustic charm to a home. In the centre of the shop was an eye-catching wooden table with a price tag of £350. The Citizen had expected it to cost more.

All the stock is new. Helen has described the stock on the shop’s Facebook page as “an eclectic mix of home and garden furnishings. From rustic and shabby chic to fancy and fun: Paintings, pottery, sheepskins, cow hides, tables, chairs.”

There are plans to include artwork by local painter Jo McCann.

Opening times are expected to be between 10am-4.30pm, Tuesday to Friday, and from 10am-4pm on Saturdays.

The new shop marks something of a revival of trade in South Street and The Cornhill in recent months. The Dresser of Caistor has recently extended its range to include men’s clothing, while next to the Multi-Use Centre, Stalf, owned by Paris Hodson, has opened a bespoke clothes-making business. Her firm has recently been advertising an opening for an experienced freelance machinist. (The trading name is an amalgamation of her grandparents’ names, Stella and Alf). Next to the War Memorial is Turning Heads in a premises previously occupied by Abbey Vets, while across the street, in the former Wracks store, is Paisley & Rose, a furnishing fabrics store, which opens on Fridays and Saturdays 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm. The Citizen is hoping to publish a separate profile on Paisley & Rose within the next few days.