BEST friends Louise Pennington and Katie Nicholson are celebrating the10th anniversary of their clothing agency.

The two pals are the owners of Cinders which offers ‘preloved’ designer dresses and other clothing.

They said they feared the worst for the business because of the pandemic but they have battled their way through the lockdowns.

Louise, 45, and Katie, 37, are now looking to the future.

The popular clothing store which takes in previously owned clothing and sells them on, used to be located on Buccleuch Street, Barrow for five years before moving to its current premise on Scott Street, Barrow.

Last year the duo set up an online page for the store so customers could purchase items 24/7 which was a huge success for their business.

Mum of two, Louise said: “We are both really chuffed, we didn’t think, especially with lockdown we would make it this far.

“We opened our online shop last year which has made a huge difference as people can now buy from us 24 hours a day.

“We’ve even had purchases from New Zealand, it’s been great.

“It’s all about word of mouth, being online is the best thing we’ve ever done, it opens things up to a whole other level.

“We are really enjoying ourselves, it’s like starting all over again, we’ve got the same buzz from when we started.”

Louise and Katie met 20 years ago when they both used to work in the travel industry.

They both decided on a career change when they had their children as they needed a job that would suit their lifestyle and decided on opening the shop.

Louise said: “We are so grateful of every single purchase no matter how little it is.

“We enjoy what we do and we’re the best of friends, what more could you ask for than working with your best friend?

“There aren’t many clothing shops in Barrow now so when we do get a customer who is in town passing we appreciate them coming in.

“We also want to thank all our loyal customers for their continued support and for people bringing us items – without them we wouldn’t have a business at all.”

The shop is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am – 3pm.

You can visit their website at: http://Cindersclothing.co.uk/