A Leamington law firm is doing its bit to keep the home fires burning – as the UK slowly edges away from recession – by helping local entrepreneurs with a flair for retro memorabilia create a flourishing emporium right in the heart of the town.

Patriotic bunting is proudly flying at ‘Blighty Bazaar’, a former bedding shop in Kenilworth Street, where business is booming in the vintage, retro and ‘all-our-yesteryear’ memorabilia trade, thanks to a lease agreement arranged through Berrymans Solicitors. Working with co-owners Les Sutton and his niece Amy Young, commercial solicitor Nick Watts devised a lease for Blighty that allowed them to move their vintage fair business to a settled site.

Mr Watts said: “At a time of improvement in the economy it is important to encourage small start-up businesses, many of whom may have tried to find jobs in a difficult employment market. This agreement helps these young entrepreneurs to turn their hobbies and craft skills into an enterprise with a place to trade.”

Co-owner Mr Sutton was full of praise for the agreement. “Nick has been so helpful in getting this agreement up and running and guiding us through it stage by stage. He has helped us to get our own piece of the town centre. As a result, we are trying to give others a helping hand and this will grow more businesses locally. “All of us involved in the business and the site have one thing in common – a love of ‘all our yesterdays’ and a desire to start our own cottage industry. We have had Chris White MP in here as well praising the enterprise and we regularly hold ‘Friends of Blighty’ meetings for those interested to discuss how it shapes up and looks.”

Mr Sutton, a social worker by training who is wheelchair bound through multiple sclerosis (MS), has a passion for ‘Mod’ music on vinyl and ran his record business through a series of vintage fairs organised by Amy, but in December the desire to bring various types of memorabilia together under one roof was realised when he was able to open Blighty Bazaar. “We have had great interest from local people as everyone remembers stuff from their childhoods. We also opened a cafe here so people can dwell longer if they choose. We had one lady in here for more than four hours and she bought loads of vintage merchandise. We thought she had gone, but she was just taking a break at the cafe in between browsing!”

Caption: Nick Watts of Berrymans Solicitors flies the bunting flag with Les Sutton, Fiona Sutherland and Lucy Williams

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