A BOUTIQUE which puts fair trade ethical products first has celebrated its first day in business.
Incense and Peppermints was the brainchild of homegrown Ulverston businesswomen Hannah Houghton.
Miss Houghton, 27, wanted to create a place which would be a hub for fair trade, alternative culture and creative talent in the town she grew up in.
The boutique shop sells a range of ethically sourced clothing, home items and artwork, a niche in the local market Miss Houghton thinks she can fill.
After a successful week, Miss Houghton said: "It went really, really well. There was some brilliant music played by Ste Tyson and we had a live fashion shoot."
Miss Houghton is a qualified youth worker but her passion has always been promoting ethical goods.
Starting off with a market stall selling fair trade clothing and home items, she grew her business, eventually trading at larger events like festivals.
She said: "I started off selling vintage, travelling round the county doing, at first, markets. I was then doing festivals selling vintage, fair trade and retro items, but I liked the idea of having my own base, and being able to do more than just travel around, and have a space of my own."
Returning to her hometown, and seeing an empty shop in Brogden Street, Miss Houghton seized her chance.
Thanks to her philosophy of sustainability, opening the shop hardly cost her a thing. The furniture, shelves and counters were all upcycled by her partner, Ben, from old wooden pallets.
Miss Houghton is hopeful the shop can become a meeting place for individuals like herself, where she can encourage alternative culture.
"It could be a space and a platform for alternative people, people who are interested in fair trade, somewhere that shows local art."
For people seeing the name Incense and Peppermints, images of the swinging 60s may pop into their heads, and they would not be wrong.
Miss Houghton said the name was inspired by the song of the same name, written by psychedelic band, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, in 1967.
She said: "When I first heard that song it was a reflection of the whole movement; it feels like it describes the whole movement of the 1960s. It inspired me."
To find out more about the shop, search for their name on Facebook.
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