AFTER a difficult start to the year, an Altrincham mother has taken the leap and followed her dream to start a vintage fashion business.

Forty-one-year-old Rachel Warburton lost her mother, Amanda, aged 59, to stomach cancer in January this year and three weeks to the day later Rachel returned to her job and was made redundant.

She decided the this was the perfect time to fulfil her long-term dream of owning her own business and launched Lucy Loves Violet, which she named after her grandmother and six-year-old daughter, Violate, and her daughter's cat, Lucy.

She said: “It was a really really tough time but I’m a get up and go type of person and for me it was now or never.

“I have always loved vintage but never had the confidence to wear it and I saw a gap in the market and took it.”

Rachel started with just a website, then moved onto a stall on Altrincham Market, which after it proved a huge success, opened a concession boutique in Altrincham, holding pop up shops at rock and roll nights and vintage festivals across the North West and then in September the opportunity came to open a shop at Afflecks.

Rachel said: “It’s been really successful so far, it’s so different to all the other shops in Afflecks, is light, bright and very pretty and stands out so it gets a lot of comments.

“People who visit remember me from Altrincham Market and starting off there has helped me learn what works and what people like.”

In around a week’s time another Lucy loves Violet will be opening another store at Emporium M33 in Sale. Rachel’s husband, 41-year-old, Iain, has taken the decision to leave his job as a national sales manager to help run the business and take over the new store.

Also this month, Rachel has been shortlisted for Start Up Business of the Year at the Altrincham and Sale Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2017.

She said: “I am really excited an honoured to be nominated. It doesn’t even matter if I don’t win because there is so much tough competition but it is just the icing on the cake for what started out a really awful year. “

Rachel will be attending the awards ceremony on October 19 at the Cresta Court Hotel, in Altrincham.

Lucy Loves Violet Vintage Inspired Boutique is located on the 2nd Floor at Afflecks or can be found online: www.lucylovesviolet.co.uk