A mum-of-two who lost her job "overnight" has launched a designer boutique in a quirky and interesting location.
Lynsey Incarico, 47, travelled the world for 20 years while working as a manager and stewardess on Thomas Cook Airlines. One evening, she was watching the news and discovered, to her shock and horror, that her employer had gone "bust" and she was out of work.
After feeling uncertain about her future, Lynsey turned to her passion - selling pre-loved fashion - for distraction and now, it's become her career and business. Based at Penny Lane Emporium on Smithdown Road, V&G Boutique is a designer fashion lover's dream.
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The Emporium is an impressive space, housing many independent businesses, with V&G boutique surrounded by quality vintage furniture, mirrors, elaborate lamps and more. The boutique is relatively small, but it's packed with luxury brands like Gucci, Chanel, Versace, Vivienne Westwood, Moncler and more.
It first opened in June 2020, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, but Lynsey had years of experience and knowledge of the pre-loved designer market prior to its launch. Upon Thomas Cook's demise, Lynsey began selling products on shopping platforms eBay and Vestaire and, soon, her home was "getting like a shop", with products filling every spare corner.
Lynsey and her husband, Ciro, decided to launch their own store, naming it V&G Boutique after their two children, Valentina and Giorgio.
Speaking to the ECHO, Lynsey, who lives in Mossley Hill, said: "My background originally was 20 years as a manager on Thomas Cook Airlines, as a stewardess. I travelled all over the world - I used to take time off unpaid so I could spend more time in New York, Miami, the Caribbean.
"I lost my job overnight. I was part time so it worked around the children, and I was watching the news and saw Thomas Cook went bust. You don't expect to lose your job. Nobody had a clue it was going to happen.
"I thought; what am I going to do with my life? I'd started eBay and selling pre-loved and my house was getting like a shop, so I thought why not give it a go. It's something I've been passionate about, it's always been a dream."
When V&G Boutique opened, the coronavirus pandemic was ramping up several gears, with new and unpredictable restrictions coming into force in a bid to combat rising cases. The shop was hit with a number of setbacks, like many others in the retail industry.
Lynsey continued: "Obviously, we had to close from August to December [2020] because of covid, so it was quite challenging. We were doing things online or by appointment to try and keep going.
"We reopened on April 12, 2021 but we were hardly open, which was hard. I'd just lost my job then covid hit us - it was a challenge, let's put it that way. I just love the pre-loved market and I'm really passionate about sustainability in fashion so I wanted to make it work.
"We're still new, we've still got a lot of things to try and learn. Everything we sell is 100% guaranteed authentic, and we pay authenticators too if we're ever unsure of things."
Of Liverpool's trademark sense of style, Lynsey said: "Liverpool is so stylish but I just begrudge spending a fortune on things that you're only going to wear once. I am so passionate about pre-loved - thankfully it's a growing market." She added: "Losing my job really affected me but I think everything happens for a reason, it's had a happy ending."
V&G Boutique is based at Penny Lane Emporium, Smithdown Road, Liverpool, L15 5AF. Its open Tuesday to Saturday from 12.30pm until 4pm.
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