TWO friends have left their jobs to open a brand-new high street gift shop venture which began as a car boot hobby.
In February, Tracey Joy was a teacher and her friend Jeanette Barton was a Tesco cash clerk.
By the end of March, the pair will open a “spiritual wellness” incense shop on Ringwood High Street.
The shop, called Endless Incense, will sell a range of candles, crystals, birthstones, scents, oil burners and more from within the unit at 1 Friday’s Court – opposite Barclays bank.
Ahead of opening on March 28, Tracey told the Echo how she and Jeanette were inspired to open their own store after gaining a large following as a market stall business.
“We started off doing Sunday markets and car boot sales in areas like Ashley Heath as a hobby while we were still working full time jobs and we got quite a following from that,” she said.
“There was so much buzz around what we did and people kept asking us whether we had a shop – so we decided to find one and open one and here we are.
“Ringwood is perfect as it’s just off the A31 and not too far out from Bournemouth and Salisbury.”
Tracey has moved to the area from Southampton, while Jeanette has relocated to the market town from Lancashire in order to pursue the business.
“We’ve tried to cater for absolutely everybody and it’s all to do with spiritual wellness,” added Tracey who said the shop will also feature a witches’ corner, a reading corner with books, and products catering for different religious beliefs.
With Endless Incense being the pair’s first foray into business, Tracey said they understood the venture would not be easy.
She said: “We’re brand new to the world of business and it is a minefield. But we didn’t go into this blind, we’ve thought about it for a long time and we know what hard work it will be.
“We’ve already had people trying to let themselves in thinking we’re open and people poking their heads in for a look around. People seem to be very excited and we’ve had some really lovely comments. We can’t wait to start.”
Endless Incense will open on March 28 at 10am, with the first 20 customers receiving a free goody bag.
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