As non-essential retail reopen for the first time in months, there will be some shops opening for the very first time today. Amanda Sherring of the new Luna House Pre-loved & Vintage Boutique in Bury St Edmunds explains what led her and three others to set up shop
We are all based in a smaller vintage shop in Bury St Edmunds (3 Catsvintage) so the last year has meant that we have all had to sell online and through social media and the personal touch has gone. We’ve been filling our time with gardening, cooking, upcycling and, more recently, planning for Luna House.
Gill and Anne were running 3 Catsvintage, Helen sells vintage clothing online and I launched into upcycling, big time, after being a teacher for 33 years. Gill and Anne wanted to expand and invited Helen and I to join them, feeling that the mix of ideas and skills would complement each other. They came up with the idea in December 2020.
The idea is to encourage people to browse and embrace a more sustainable lifestyle; to reduce carbon footprints by reinventing and restoring previously useful and aesthetic items. Almost everything in the shop is 100 per cent recycled, reused and given a new lease of life. We are passionate about reusing and some of us take this to the extreme! It is very much a collaborative effort. We’re all on board!
It is a bit like a mini, interesting, bohemian department store selling furniture, lighting, jewellery, home decor, ornaments and so much more! It’s not really in sections, it’s an eclectic mix!
We’re excited and nervous about opening. This is a big venture in difficult times. Bury St Edmunds has a few new shops opening and we very much want to contribute to helping the town centre continue to thrive and be a destination for days out. It’s such a shame we can’t have a grand opening but in the current climate.
We think that town centres could become places with more artisan shopping and eating experiences and still very much survive alongside Amazon! They just need to be handled in the correct way. The numerous TV programmes and thirst for car boots shows that there is a place for us…we hope!
Labels are mostly made from old leaflets/ wrapping paper and every item for sale has had a previous existence. Packaging is reused. Whether it’s been reupholstered, painted, varnished, sewn, ironed or just dusted, everything in the shop has been transformed into something magical!
Luna House Boutique, 2 Buttermarket, Bury St Edmunds. Find Luna House on Instagram
This is just the sort of shop that the high street needs to bring shopping alive. There are lots of super nostalgic up market finds and things that take you back in time and the vintage clothes are fab. I’ll be shopping there lots.