Young entrepreneur opens vintage clothing store in Mansfield town centre

Twenty-six-year-old Harry Squires opened the doors to his new shop on West Gate on Monday after opting to make a career change during lockdown.

Having spent four years as a tradesman, Harry found himself furloughed from his full-time job and began selling his unwanted clothes via online fashion marketplace Depop.

With sales booming and having a keen eye for a bargain, he began scouring car boot sales and online clothing sites for designer brands and decided not to return to his old job – getting the keys to his new premises last month.

“It's been a hard slog since I got the keys, I’ve been putting in really long days to get everything ready – but I’m really pleased with it,” said Harry.

"Sales were going really well online, and there’s nothing like this around here so I’m hoping it does well.

"We cater for all tastes, from Barbour and Moschino to Mulberry and North Face – something for everyone really.”

Despite being just 26, the former Brunts Academy pupil has been working 15 hours a day to revamp the empty shell of the shop and hopes to expand to the second floor if sales continue to take off – both online and in-store.

His online shop is quickly approaching its 2,000th sale, and he has used the profits to finance his new clothing store.

"Sales were so much bigger than expected online” he said.

"I realised there was an opening in the market and just went for it, and it’s already getting a lot of attention, so fingers crossed it continues.”

Mansfield MP Ben Bradley also paid a visit to the new shop on its opening day.

He said: “It’s great to see new businesses opening up across the constituency.

"To see a young lad who has done well from an online shop and is now launching himself on the high street is great, and I really hope it goes well for him.

"Best of luck to everyone opening up in the coming days and weeks as we get back to some kind of normality.”

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