Allotment shop digs for victory

Walking into Michele Fox's nostalgic gardening shop in the Black Country you could be forgiven for thinking you had been transported back to the 1940s.

With a Dig for Victory theme, she is hoping to encourage cash-strapped families to beat the credit crunch by growing their own vegetables.

The 40-year-old interior designer turned shopkeeper has started the new business specialising in garden gifts and tools with partner Paul Burns, also aged 40.

Michele, who grew up in Warrington, said: "We started as an on-line shop and have done several garden shows, such as Gardeners World Live, Harrogate Autumn Show and Malvern Autumn Show.

"We received such a fantastic response to our stand design we decided to take it one step further and open our own little shop here in Kingswinford.

"Even in this doom and gloom time we are extremely excited at the prospect of offering something a little bit different."

They have themed their shop around the nostalgic look of the 1940's when "growing your own" was a way of life, with traditional tin items and sentimental music playing in the background.

Paul, a graphic designer, said: "We hope to encourage people of all ages to have a go at growing their own given the current climate of food prices and escalating costs."

Although it has only being open for a week, The Allotment Shop in Park Street has already caught the eye of many passersby. The couple, who also live in Park Street, Kingswinford, said they were confident, despite the current global economic crisis, of making their business a success. "I think people garden regardless of the economic climate as it helps to make them feel better and we are trying to keep our prices low so they are affordable," Michele said.

They also plan to work with local schools to teach youngsters about the joys of gardening and growing vegetables and encourage them to dedicate a small plots to be cultivated into mini allotments.