The owner of a new family business in Andover has discussed how lockdown inspired her to open her shop in town.

Rebecca Whitewick is the co-owner of Whitewick Vintage, which opened on Sunday, December 6, and sells a variety of antiques, furniture and art to customers.

She told the Advertiser that “everyone wants a new start” after lockdown, and that if she’d hung around, “then I wouldn’t have done it.”

Rebecca, 40, was inspired to open the store due to her “love of history.”

“I loved the history behind things,” she said, “and picked up bits and pieces that I enjoyed.”

After inheriting a collection from her grandparents, the former administrator said she “wanted someone else to enjoy them.”

“I inherited a collection of things that ended up in boxes. It’s a very eclectic collection. I’ve since picked things up from elsewhere, which catch my eye.”

After a unit became available at the Basepoint Business Centre on Caxton Close, Rebecca and her husband decided to open their new business. “We thought, ‘why not?’” she said. “If not now, then never.”

Opening in lockdown may seem difficult, but Rebecca was unfazed.

“I suppose it’s a challenge,” she said, “but everyone wants a new start right now. They just want to get out and enjoy life again. If we’d hung around, then we wouldn’t have done it. Life’s too short for that. Lots of people say we’re crazy, but more of them say it’s great.”

Rebecca says that they hope the business will “create a community,” with space available for others interested in antiques to rent or to sell on commission.

“It’s a place where the hobbyist can come,” she said. “It’s not just professionals.”

Items in the store range from former London Underground signs to furniture and books; the latter of which is her husband’s pride and joy. Since opening, she says that business has been going “really well.”

“We’ve sold quite a few bits already,” she said. “People have been buying lots of little bits. The old school desks have been very popular, but not a lot of people have the space. A lot of them are planning to come back after they’ve measured their rooms, and see what new stuff we have.”

For now, Rebecca is content with her one shop, but is hoping to expand in the future.

“It would be nice to move into a bigger space,” she said, “and maybe other shops down the line. This is something we’ve put together though, so it might be difficult to find someone to do this somewhere else.”

Whitewick Vintage is located in Unit 65 of the Basepoint Business Centre, and those wishing to learn more can find more information on its website: https://www.whitewickvintage.co.uk/