Two young couples who decided to launch a Northumberland menswear shop last year are already expanding their business into bigger premises.
Stephen and Amy Dial joined Stuart and Jill Brand, all 28, to set up S&S Attire in September, just months after the end of pandemic restrictions.
Now, the business - which sells suits and some casual menswear - is upgrading from its current shop into a 1,100 sq ft store in the centre of Hexham and has taken on its first member of staff with another starting in the next month.
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Mr Dial, who quit his job as a deputy headmaster recently and has never worked in retail before, said he hopes S&S Attire will grow to open additional stores in Newcastle and Durham.
He said: “We’ve got staff now working for us, which, to be quite honest, is not where I thought we’d be at this point. It’s been great, and we’re going to keep building.
“We’ve tried to give the shop a bit of personality and offer people an experience.”
The idea for the business was formulated by Mr Dial, Mr Brand's best man, after he had been for his wedding suit fitting.
Mr Dial explained: “The day before his wedding I messaged him to say, “by the way, Stu, I’ve got us social media and a website - so we’re definitely doing this business'. He said I can’t do anything right now, I’m getting married tomorrow!
“So I messaged him when he got back from his honeymoon on August 17 and asked if he was in - he said yes.
“Then, by August 30 we had keys to the current shop and we’d opened on September 4. Since then it’s been a thousand miles per hour.
“We’ve been really lucky because we’ve had a lot of support and people have shopped local. It’s easy to go online somewhere like Suit Direct, but it’s nice that a lot have chosen to come to us.”
Georgia Nichol - who was Stuart and Stephen’s tailor for Stuart’s wedding - joined the business as creative director.
The partners are yet to take any money out of the business - instead choosing to reinvest in order to fund the new shop that will feature more visual merchandising, a beer fridge, sofas and smart decor.
Mr Dial - who is a behavioural teaching specialist - still does supply work, but acknowledges the business is becoming a bit more than a side project.
He’s keen to make sure S&S Attire affords opportunities to people from all different backgrounds.
He explained: “When we recruited for these initial jobs, we went to the job centres as we wanted to give people a chance. Teaching has shown me how many people out there struggle and may be forced to use foodbanks.
“We also want to get apprentices who might have additional needs, and people who want to get experience. It’s going to offer something to the community and inspire people.”
S&S Attire’s new store will launch on March 19, offering 10% off all stock on the day and further discounts for couples getting married in 2022.
Sky Sports presenters Pete Graves and Keith Downie will attend the launch which will also feature live music and free food for customers.
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