Ulverson Boutique Gets a Celebrity Face-Lift

Women's fashion boutique, Olive, is to reopen its doors to the public on Saturday, following a momentous effort by the Ulverston community.

Numerous local businesses have pulled together to refurbish and revamp the stylish women's clothes and accessories shop on Market Street.

Hairy Biker Dave Myers will be present on Saturday to welcome customers into Olive, which will include a brand new range of clothes, furniture, art and accessories.

Olive closed its doors on Saturday to begin a week-long refurbishment. Opening day will be celebrated with food and drinks, supplied by Irvings of Ulverston. The re-opening of Olive will be a celebration of all the hard work put in by the community.

Shop manager, Fiona Kennedy, decided to renovate the store as a way of tackling difficult economic times.

"I knew that something had to be done, so I thought lets be positive, put in all of our efforts and go for a complete remodel of the store.

I wanted to go for an antique-feel to the shop. There are no shops like us in the area, so we really wanted to go the extra mile to stand out."

The strength of the Ulverston community began to show through from a very early stage, with a number of local businesses offering to contribute. A number of locals volunteered to help with clearing out the store, and Ian Curwen agreed to decorate and paint the shop.

The new Olive store will have lots of unique, individual features to make visiting the shop a captivating experience.

The colours and design of the shop will be changed to support the antique-vibe that Fiona had initially hoped for. The walls will be filled with the artwork of Tina Balmer. Tina's artwork has been displayed in galleries all over the country, and a selection of her work will be on display, and available to purchase from Olive.

One of the most exciting aspects of the new shop is the introduction of Liliana Orzac's fashion brand. Liliana moved to Barrow in 2007 from her home town in Romania, to be with her partner, Hairy Biker Dave Myers. Liliana has started her own business as a fashion designer, and is proud to be providing her remarkable brand of clothing to Olive.

She said: "I am delighted to be supplying my brand to Olive. My collection is different to anything you can find on the high street, and that is what Olive is all about.

My clothing range will be exclusive to Olive. I want to design and supply clothes that women will feel good wearing." Liliana designs and creates a range of clothes, from ball gowns to theatrical outfits.

One of Olive's most popular products is the Momiji Doll. These are collectable friendship dolls, each with their own personality and characteristics. At the base of every doll is a slot that can hide a secret friendship message for someone special.

Momijis are enjoyed by all ages, and can be discovered in the new enchanting, fantasy corner of the shop. Ulverston toy shop, Rhubarb and Custard, is building a replica dolls house of the Olive store, to be put into the shop window as a display-home for the Momijis.

The brand new face of Olive is going to be local model Grace Foster. Grace is taking part in a photo shoot with former Evening Mail photographer, Milton Haworth, to show off the new range of clothing. The images will be used for the brand new website, and placed onto business cards and brochures.

Complete with a soulful collection of ambient music, Olive is set to become one of the most attractive boutiques in Cumbria.

All are invited come along to Olive on Saturday (9 Feb) for the grand re-opening. This is a celebration of the strength of the community in Ulverston.