A woman opened her own business to support herself after suffering from a chronic illness.
Kate, from Ormskirk, previously owned a different business but after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, had to take time off work to adjust to living with the condition. To support herself financially, she began selling clothes and homemade jewellery online.
Kate's venture soon became a passion, and she began selling vintage clothes in the Red Brick Market. Kate said: "I always dressed a bit mental from when I was a kid, I never really liked what was in style or what you were supposed to wear.
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"Vintage allows you to express yourself more, and I’ve always been very individual and set on who I am as a person, and I feel like this style expresses that." The markets were only the beginning for Kate, as her love for selling vintage clothing only grew, and in April 2022 she opened her shop - The Retro Room - on Lark Lane.
The benefits of being her own boss means Kate can accommodate her illness whenever necessary, she said: “I always wanted to run my own business, but this allows me to be ill. I feel like people aren’t very courteous of you being chronically ill and needing time off on short notice. The more they get fed up with you and it gives me more anxiety, which in turn makes me more ill.
"At least here, being my own boss, I can close when I need to. The best thing is being able to be kind to myself in my own environment of work, that’s all everyone ever wants is to feel comfortable while they’re working.”
Kate had always known she wanted a place of her own, and being from Ormskirk and having family from Liverpool, Kate couldn’t imagine having her shop anywhere else, she said: “I think Liverpool’s the best city in the world, it’s known as the best city in the world. The people here are so lovely and the vibe is so great.”
“I don’t feel like I’m working a lot of the time, it is hard but it’s so rewarding to be your own boss, to make a product and sell it to someone who enjoys it is the best feeling in the world.”
The Retro Room offers a variety of items, from beautiful sustainable jewellery and clothing, to crocheted bandanas and quirky mugs.
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