Penn boutique owner celebrates successful first few months of trading

Jessica's Boutique. on Springhill Lane. opened its doors in August, selling accessories and 'Made in Italy' branded clothing, ranging from sizes 10 to 24, at an affordable price.

Owner Jessica Silvers, who moved to Penn in 2019, started her business on Facebook in 2021 operating out of her home, but admitted she began to "outgrow" the space as customer demand soared.

The 57-year-old has worked in retail for more than 20 years, having owned Artistic Nail Studio in Cradley Heath for 17 years until 2017, offering a place for customers to have their nails tended to while browsing a selection of clothing items.

Jessica said: "Opening day was amazing, we had people come from all over the place. I've had so much positive feedback from people saying this is exactly what Penn needs.

"There was nothing in Penn, no clothes shops or shoe shops. With a lot of retail shops closing down there was no 'Made in Italy' clothing anywhere in Wolverhampton, so I thought 'let's brighten up Penn'.

"I have a lot of regular customers now. The shop closes on a Friday because I don't want to lose customers from where I used to live so I provide a delivery service free of charge to Cradley Heath, Netherton, Dudley, Quarry Bank, those sorts of areas.

"My dream was always to have a lovely boutique – I have always wanted that."

Jessica added that she was keen to keep her products at an affordable price upon opening the store.

She said: "Because I was selling online before with no overheads, when everyone was asking me to open a shop I said I will and I will keep my prices the same, which I have managed to do.

"We are in a cost of living crisis so I want to provide affordable, nice quality clothing. I have had lots of people say when they see the outside of the shop they are scared to come in because they think it is an expensive boutique, but they come in and are shocked to see the prices."

In addition to running her shop five days a week, Jessica hosts a livestream to her Facebook page every Monday where she models her new stock with friends.