Meet the Telford fashion store owners living their dream in their home town
As part of the Shropshire Star's Support Our High Street series, Matt Panter spoke to Karissa Hughes of fashion brand The Bouji Store.
Teamwork makes the dream work, some say, and for Karissa Hughes it's been the secret to success.
Working alongside her partner in life and business – Oliver Glasford – she's the proud owner of an independent shop and creator of a clothing brand.
The 28-year-old, mother-of-three, runs fashion outlet The Bouji Store in Telford Centre.
And she takes pride in the fact that, not only has she achieved her dream in her hometown, but also that, with Oliver at her side, she has made a success of the business in the most challenging of times.
Karissa and Oliver launched the brand in 2017, starting out with t-shirts and caps with customised prints.
They built a website and used social media to market the business and get their name out there.
The business started to add a wider range of items to the website, including dresses, tops, bottoms and loungewear.
By 2020, The Bouji Store included a first pop up store in Shropshire, situated right in the heart of the Telford Centre.
Six months later, they signed a tenancy in Birmingham's Bullring which Karissa says taught her a great deal.
