Cherished: New pre-loved childrens' Chesterfield clothing store brings style and sustainability

Owners Katy Newman and Lynne Wilson said customers have been surprised to learn the business was a second-hand shop.

Their offerings also include up-cycled furniture, a range of new sustainable items and hand-made goods from local producers.

The idea behind the business came from a chance encounter with the previous occupants of the shop.

Katy said: “I came looking for second-hand equipment for my own grandsons and found that one shop on the opposite side of the road recently closed, and when I came to this one, the owner told me she was closing due to a change in career. I was looking for something part-time to invest my time in, so I just thought ‘hmm, this is worth a conversation’, so it was just a very chance encounter.

"We’re both passionate about recycling, sustainability and make-do and mending. We just talked it through and thought, this could be something really interesting. It’s a shame to let that kind of business go because there’s nothing close by that’s equivalent. I had a coffee with Lynne, and because I knew I didn’t want to do it on my own, Lynne said ‘Yeah let’s give it a go!’

"We’re a bit different to what was here before because we do upcycled furniture. We do pre-loved children's clothes as well as pre-loved nursery equipment and we are looking for new lines if they are UK based. So we won’t retail anything new that has been produced abroad unless it’s fairtrade because they’re from ethical sources. Over the coming months, we are trying to introduce a handmade section, where we can involve local people and a ‘new’ section if it's made in the UK or sustainably sourced. So we can offer something where second hand might not be appropriate, for example - christening gifts.”

Katy added: “We only stock high street and above in the shop that’s ‘as new’ condition. We will stock supermarket products if they are significant pieces of clothing, like a coat or a sleep bag. We don’t put anything out unless it’s as we describe as ‘as new’ condition. So people know what they are getting, and we sell our pre-loved clothing at less than half price of the full price.”

But they also offer cothing for ‘messy days’ at home or nursery.

Katy said: “We don’t hang anything that’s bobbly or a bit faded, so what we are going to do is play bags, which I think will be particularly popular with people whose children go to nursery - they have such fun at these nurseries, but it is always so messy. So we thought if we get bags together, and put a selection of clothing - leggings, tops, jeans, and perhaps in the winter a coat - and charge much less than we would for things in the shop. They will all be good quality, but there will just be a reason we can’t put it out.”

Their interest in upcycling and sustainability doesn’t end with the clothes.

Katy said: “We’ve tried to follow our general philosophy when we have been doing the shop up, as it’s all been done with things we already had. Lynne had a shed last year and half of it is on the shop front! The rail for the children's clothes is from where we are revamping our bedroom, so that was the curtain rail.”

Cherished are also keen to work with local manufacturers.

“The jigsaws we have are made by the only remaining UK manufacturer of wooden jigsaws – and they are made in Alfreton. It’s fascinating in their factory, and they’ve been really helpful in getting us a small selection to get going. They’ve been really popular. It’s great to see a family business and they are the type of business we want to work with.”

Cherished is open from 10am – 4pm Tuesday to Saturday.