Holloways of Poulton

There was a lot of excitement last week in Poulton. The delight on Tithebarn Street was audible, faces wore smiles and the fruits of a lot of hard work came to fruition. I’m not talking about the removal of the barricades that have blocked the busy street for weeks as work has been carried out on the bridge, I’m talking about the installation of the sign for Holloways of Poulton, the new vintage-inspired clothing shop upstairs at 52 Tithebarn Street.

If you frequent the vintage markets held at various locations around the Fylde you will have, most probably, bumped into Suzzie and Jenny. The pair have been trading in pin-up, rockabella, retro-chic and swingtime clothing and accessories for a while now. They organise the Holloways & Friends craft fair held each month at the Cube Bar, exhibit at other craft fairs and have a website.

However, that’s not enough. From 11 May the girls will be opening the doors to their new shop, inviting people to come down and enjoy the experience of shopping for the latest fashion trend from people who know, and love, the movement.

“I’m just so excited,” said Jenny as the sign was bolted into position, “It’s actually happening.”

The Mayor of Wyre, Councillor Don Lawrenson, was in attendance for the reopening of the Tithebarn Bridge. I asked him what he thought of these young girls opening a new shop in Poulton, “It’s just great,” he replied.

The shop itself is a small boutique with wonderful twisted iron banister rails guiding you up into the main room. The idea is to have conversation rather than just browse, so the small size is perfect for the personal shopping experience rather than the soulless mainstream. They have a fitting room to make sure the clothing looks as good on you as it does on the rack.

The girls have built up great relationships with their suppliers and have items in store that you can’t find anywhere else on the Fylde.

“These aren’t just a random bunch of items picked from a catalogue,” Suzzie was telling me, “These are clothes both me and Jenny want to wear.”

Looking at the styles on offer, I would say that this is the perfect place to buy a dress in order to stand out from the crowd.  Be it a 1950s inspired leopard-print tea dress for the prom or a bright red 40s figure-hugging wiggle dress for an anniversary dinner; this is a fashion movement I most definitely want to stay.