A full-time university student has taken her lockdown online shoe business to the high street.
Amber Briggs, 21, from Brandlesholme, has expanded her online ‘lockdown pastime’ and now has a prime spot to welcome her customers.
Amber Lily Shoes has gone from a computer screen to a stall at the Market Place Shopping Centre in Bolton.
The jump into business however hasn’t been easy, especially with the anxieties caused by lockdown.
Amber said: “I loved being online because it didn’t matter about being confident.
“It is a big change trying to start out in a different environment.
"Even though I’m selling the same things, the environment I’m doing it in is very different.
“It has been nerve-racking and I wasn’t the most confident person but now I get to meet new people and they can try on any of the products and see them in person.”
Amber started the business in lockdown after being put on furlough and her full-time university course went online.
Since lockdown restrictions lifted, she has been working four-day weeks, attending university two days a week and managing her small business on the side.
Despite the workload, Amber has now graduated with a psychology degree at Manchester Metropolitan University, left her job and is getting stuck in with her business.
She said: “When I got a new job it really slowed things down, now I have finished I am looking to push amber lily shoes a lot more.
“I am excited to build the business up and meet all my new customers and now that I have a stall, customers can see the products in person.
“It helps because a picture doesn’t always do the products justice.
“It also allows me to get a better view of who my customers actually are, meet them and have that personal interaction that a name on a screen doesn't give.
“I also think for the customers it means they can see who they’ve been buying from and see the difference their purchase can make to a small business.”
Amber Lily Shoes sells women’s shoes in sizes UK 3 to UK 8 with varying styles, heals and heights.
After finishing her job and university for the business, Amber still has some worries.
“I really enjoy doing this but obviously I can only keep doing it if I have enough custom, It would be really sad to have to stop, I just want it to do well.”
Her stall opened on Tuesday, August 2 and any returning customers that visit will get 10 per cent off their next purchases.
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