Vintage boutique capturing hearts by stepping back to the 70s, 80s and 90s

Pretty in Pink has opened up on the town's High Street with a mission to celebrate the sights, sounds, and specifically the clothes of the 1980s.

Taking its name from the classic 80s 'Brat Pack' film from the legendary John Hughes, the shop has been launched by friends Graham Holbrook and Kevin Mason.

Packed with throwback vintage clothing that appeals both to those who were there at the time, and a younger audience inspired by the celebrated styles that shaped modern culture, the pair said the focus has been on quality – at an affordable price.

Graham said: "The idea is basically stepping back into the 70s, 80s and 90s, to when the clothes that we now call vintage were being sold.

"We've got the videos and the music and TVs to show the videos from those days, and the prices are basically what we would have paid then."

Graham said the inspiration for the shop had come from their own love of the 1980s – with the pair having met while working for Laura Ashley in Mid Wales at the time.

He said: "Not so long ago we met up by coincidence walking past the Old Bell in town and just started talking about setting up a shop full of music videos, full of clothes that have been really well looked after and chosen by us."

Graham said that the reception for the shop had been "beyond our wildest dreams".

He said: "We have been inundated with people coming in, looking at what we have and making really lovely comments about what they have found.

"We even had someone saying it reminded them of Biba on the King's Road back in the 1970s."

And Kevin said they'd been surprised at the age of the clientèle – with plenty of younger people taking the chance to look at some fresh but classic looks.

He said: "We had a bit of a shock really, we thought it would be middle aged people rather than youngsters but the spread is unbelievable."

Discussing the shop's fast start Kevin said the ambience was proving a big winner – but the interest relies on ensuring there are quality, well looked after products on the hangers.

He said: "I think it is the mixture of the music, the videos, the clothes being really well looked after, people are saying they haven't seen a shop like it before."

Kevin also said the craftsmanship on the older stock stands out against the modern throwaway 'fast-fashion' trends, which have come to dominate the high streets in recent years.

He said: "The quality is certainly a lot better back in the day than what you are finding at some of the big name fashion stores and the supermarket nowadays."

The shop is open from 9.30am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday.