An Elgin lingerie shop which will celebrate its first birthday this week has received an early present.
Nelly Bo’s Lingerie was named the best newcomer at Stars Best Shop Awards in London.
Owner Kerry Dean said the High Street business, which sprung from a conversation with husband Shaun, has seen an “overwhelming” response since opening.
‘Leap of faith’ to open Nelly Bo’s store
Kerry and Shaun took a “leap of faith” opening their own store in Elgin after a casual conversation.
Kerry said: “We had nothing for the younger audience or more modern stuff to begin with.
“In the end we had to decide if we were jumping or not – a year or so later here we are.”
The shop, which was Clark’s up until June 2020, was in need of huge renovations when Nelly Bo’s acquired the property.
Kerry added: “The building was an absolute tip. We walked in and it was bare walls.
“We’ve worked 24 hours a day for the past year putting up walls, new carpets, new shelves and more.
“Electrics, heating, water and anything else you can think of is all new. It’s safe to say it needed a lot of loving.”
Best possible start says owner
The couple, who are both from Elgin, have been “taken by storm” with the best possible start to life as shop owners.
Kerry said: “It couldn’t have gone any better, it’s been absolutely mental.
“Of course we have locals coming in, but people from further afield travel here to our store.
“We have customers who come from Glasgow or Edinburgh to see us as well as lots of tourists visiting the area.
“You never know who will next walk through the door and I think that is absolutely amazing.”
Award win shows shop work ‘is worth it’
Kerry said even to be nominated would’ve been enough to show the business is worth it.
However, when she was invited to the awards ceremony as a finalist and to be named the eventual winner of the best newcomer was even better.
The awards, organised by publisher Underlines Magazine, highlights “strength and uniqueness” in the industry.
Kerry said: “We knew they were watching what we were doing – I thought nothing would come of it though.
“We won it and I’m still a bit speechless really – it’s the Oscars of the lingerie industry.
“It shows hard work pays off and gives us affirmation we are going in the right direction.”
Conversation