Freckle Boutique
Situated in the glorious Lancashire countryside, Freckle Boutique is one of those rare finds, a ladies clothing boutique that really does provide a joyful shopping experience.
T
he owner, Linda Monk, clearly loves what she does but also recognises that clothes shopping is not necessarily a positive activity for lots of women. She states, “Contrary to popular belief many women simply don’t enjoy the process. It can be intimidating and frustrating particularly for ladies who don’t fit the mold that is portrayed so much in the fashion media. This is a huge bugbear of mine.” Linda started her own business from nothing seven years ago to address this situation and show women that no matter what their age, shape or size, they can look fabulous and enjoy fashion and style with all the confidence of the bright, young things who grace the pages of the glossy mags.
The clothes at Freckle are a great range of differing sizes so I can shop with my friends who are much smaller than me and I no longer feel left out.” Alison Roberts, Southport. A quick glance at the reviews on Google shows that whatever she is doing, it seems to be working and the customer base is growing daily. Since the beginning of March 2020 Freckle has seen turnover grow by over 800% bucking the trend of more established boutiques who have really suffered financially. “When the first lockdown was announced we realised that a lot of women would be experiencing loneliness, anxiety and a whole range of negativity so we set up a Facebook group to support these ladies. We created a fantastic community of women who share fun as well as fashion and also are incredibly supportive of each other. It was started to provide ladies with a safe and friendly environment not to sell
The boutique itself is bright and airy and very welcoming. It is the largest ladies’ clothes shop within Heskin Shopping Village and has a massively loyal and customer base. “I used to hate shopping because I could never find anything to fit me as I’m a size 20 but now I love it! 208
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
clothes and it has really taken off growing to over 1000 members. “
Freckle now has an online presence with the website www.Freckle.Boutique in the top 5% of online shops launched at the same time. It’s quite an achievement and Linda is quick to point out that she has had more than a little help from her niece Beth Skapars. “It’s a real family business now. Beth has been my rock and we wouldn’t be where we are now if it wasn’t for her. She pushes me to be better and I can never thank her enough.” And the future? “We have massive plans” laughs Linda, “But we will never lose who we are. Our aim is to make everyone who walks through our doors feel amazing before they leave. Life can be a struggle but shopping for clothes doesn’t need to be.”
www.Freckle.Boutique info@freckle.boutique www.lancmag.com
