Northumberland business ‘makes a splash’ on the high street with new premises

Puddles, located on West Street, Berwick has grown and moved premises thanks to local business support programme, Business Northumberland.

Visitors can expect to find not only the very “Instagrammable” shop but can also catch a glimpse of “shop legend”, Shakira, Abbi’s dachshund dog.

Drawing inspiration from Mary Poppins as a child, store owner Abbi Kewin, who is originally from Whitley Bay, dreamt that one day she would own an umbrella shop. Having moved around the UK and developing a love for unique, independent shops, Abbi started trading in November 2021.

After living in London, Edinburgh and Inverness, Abbi fell in love with the beautiful, cobbled streets in Berwick. After sketching out the dream location for the business venture, Abbi found the perfect spot in the heart of the town and knew it was the perfect place to set up shop.

Since establishing the shop Abbi has grown from umbrellas and has since also started selling local and eco-friendly gifts as well as limited edition pieces by Scottish Borders based artist VILIINA K. in which some pieces were created just for Puddles.

Since joining the Business Northumberland programme at the end of 2022, Puddles has experienced major growth. Puddles has plans to get online and offer delivery across the UK. The success of the shop has led to a premises change, although only two doors down, meaning more space for the shop as well as a room focused for creative workshops.

Business Northumberland provides support to small and medium enterprises across the North East who are looking to sustain and grow their business online. The fully funded support programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Advance Northumberland, so there is no cost to eligible businesses when accessing the support.

Attending workshops, networking events, and having 1-2-1s with a dedicated Business Adviser, the sole trader was able to use the Adviser as a “sounding board” and delve into all aspects of the business.

She commented: “The programme gave me a chance to network with other businesses and have some interesting conversations. Seeing how others had different approaches to running their businesses and to give each other support is amazing. After meeting another business at a Business Northumberland event, I now stock her earrings in my shop.”

“The Business Northumberland programme has helped me with the skills with my online presence, from the importance of making my website and social media posts accessible for all abilities, I am looking forward to launching a store website in 2023.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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