After moving back to my native Cheshire, I found there to be a distinct lack of independents in the North West, or certainly none where I wanted to shop. If I wanted something special for an event or my home, it involved a trip to London and I felt that I may not be alone in my frustration and so the idea for Bottega was born. In 2007, I saw a small shop with a To Let sign become available in a small neighbouring village. My mother has always said, only gamble what you can afford to lose. So, armed with my savings, my retail background as a buyer for some of London’s most prestigious stores & a good deal of bravado, I began to fill the store with an eclectic mix of lifestyle product and a small fashion edit. With Bottega being welcomed by many for its eclectic mix of independent brands, relocating to Tarporley, Cheshire in 2010 was a bold move, filling a 2000 square foot space with even more carefully picked eclectic pieces. That year, Bottega brought the Birdcage café to Tarporley, which soon became a local favourite. Year by year, we have grown and grown turning the busy café into our busy head office as we opened our Shrewsbury store four weeks before Christmas in 2014 and have since explored opportunities in the Caribbean. The Boutique at Calabash opened in Grenada in April 2016 followed by the refurbishment of thirty bedrooms at Calabash Boutique Hotel and Spa in September of the same year. We have received some incredible accolades and recognition in the press for our efforts in creating something special in the North West. But first and foremost, it is our brand ethos to ensure our clients and repeat guests in the hotels where we have a presence enjoy their experience with us.Read less