New lifestyle shop opens in Newbury town centre

Independent retailer Emma makes her dream a reality

A NEW independent lifestyle shop has opened its doors in Newbury town centre.

B the lifestyle shop, in Wharf Street, sells a range of items from clothing and greetings cards, to teabags, candles and homeware.

The shop’s owner, Newbury resident Emma Bees, said it had “always been a dream” for her to open her own store after working in retail for the past decade.

Mrs Bees explained that she wanted to “bring in some nice brands which were a bit unusual to Newbury”.

The store was designed and planned by Mrs Bees and the construction of some parts was carried out by her husband, Craig.
Many of the materials and interior structure were imported from London.

She describes her products as “simple but effective” and “affordable but special” and said she wants to create a clean, calm atmosphere within her store.

She regards her products as high quality yet attainable.

Many of the products in the store are inspired by her travels to destinations such as Norway and Copenhagen.

While there, Mrs Bees gained a liking towards certain items and the aesthetic they brought with them.

She wanted to sell these items for other people to enjoy and realised that opening a store would be the best option.

Mrs Bees says her friends and family have always encouraged her to follow up on her dream and that her husband has supported her and given her motivation.

She says she often gets many queries about what is meant by the term ‘lifestyle shop’ and describes her store as being “an outlet of everything needed to sustain a way in which someone may want to lead their lives, from their teabags to their clothing to their greeting cards”.

“It is about sustaining a simple but modern lifestyle by offering a range of items for the home, women, kids and baby, and gifts,” she said.

Mrs Bees says she has been receiving “amazing” feedback since opening the store a couple of weeks ago and is delighted that her dream is now a reality.

Her advice to people who are also thinking of starting up their own business and turning a hobby into a profession is that “if you believe in something, others will believe with you”.

For more information about B the lifestyle store, visit the website www.bthelifestyleshop.uk