Hoping to repeat winning formula

Karen Robinson opened her first branch of Willow in High Street eight months ago, and was recently chosen to feature in BBC Midlands Today’s report on the area’s successful Portas Pilot bid for £100,000 in regeneration cash.

She is now opening a second branch of the shop in the historic Covent Garden market area in Warwick Street, selling homeware, furniture, accessories, and stationery.

She said: “It is less than a year since I launched Willow and we’ve already established a loyal customer base and played an active role in attracting new businesses to participate in the South Town renaissance.

“This is also an overlooked area with great footfall from the nearby car park and more affordable premises than the Parade. My neighbour, the Covent Garden Bagel Company, has already joined our small but vibrant community, also attracted by the competitive rents and lower overheads.”

Willow sells vintage, antique and reproduction furniture and ornaments at affordable prices, enabling customers to give their homes a retro feel without the outlay many associate with buying period pieces.

Among items on display is a 1940s Blaupunkt Stereogram with button-backed mirrored cocktail cabinet, a French marble-topped dressing table, hand painted china Shelley-ware, a 1930s cocktail shaker and a pair of Edwardian ivory carved opera glasses, as well as more modern items.

Karen added: “A room can be totally transformed by the addition of a well chosen and positioned chair, lamp, mirror or picture. With the right piece in the right place, you can create a totally new ambiance at a fraction of the investment that redecoration would entail.”