Leeds nurse fulfils childhood dream by opening her very own Farsley vintage boutique

When you walk into Naomi’s Vintage Boutique, you can expect to find retro city life fashion, hand-painted ceramics, and an array of beautiful ballgowns all in one place.

The shop, which opened in Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley earlier this month, is an emporium for stylish second-hand clothes and homeware.

And it’s been a long-term coming for founder Naomi Howles.

As a little girl, Naomi remembers sewing clothes for her dolls out of leftover fabric.

Falling in love with how easy it was to create something new out of something old, her passion for vintage fashion was born.

“I’ve always loved clothes, fashion and interior design and I’ve always shopped in a thrifty second-hand way,” Naomi told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

My house is just full of all these bits of vintage furniture because they’re made so beautifully and they last forever.”

For years, shopping second-hand was simply a hobby in Naomi’s life. But when her six-year-old daughter asked her what she used to want to be when she grew up, the 43-year-old finally decided to “push open the door” on a childhood fantasy - to own her own vintage shop.

Naomi said: “I thought life’s too short and I want to inspire my children.

“I want them to be empowered and to know you can chase your dreams. Sometimes you have to do something brave and scary.”

When the mum of five found a retail unit in Sunny Bank Mills waiting for a new occupant, Naomi felt it was meant to be.

“It’s the perfect place for it. It’s an old textile mill that closed down and regenerated into something fabulous and new but keeping the old loveliness as well,” she said.

“It's full of creative, crafty, arty people - it's a really cool place to come.”

Prices at Naomi’s Vintage Boutique range from a few pounds for accessories to the hundreds for super exclusive goods you can’t find anywhere else.

One of the shop owner’s personal favourite items on sale is an “amazing skirt” with at least one hundred years of history.

Naomi said: “It’s from an opera house in Dusseldorf and it was designed specifically for the first ladies for The Magic Flute. It’s got the names of the three really famous opera singers inside it.

“It’s velvet, it shines in the light, and no-one else in the world has got this skirt.”

At Naomi’s Vintage Boutique, it’s not just the clothes and homeware which are second-hand; the decoration is too.

The shop is full of quirky thrift flips, including a fitting room made out of old garage doors.

And with a mid-century couch and cowhide drum table, Naomi has created a shop where you can feel relaxed and stress-free shopping experience.

Naomi said: “You can just sit and have a really slow, leisurely browse as your friend tries something on.

“You can have a coffee, there’s no rush, no pressure. Just enjoy the clothes, have a try on and if you find something special then great, if not come back another day.”

Before opening Naomi’s Vintage Boutique, Naomi was working as an adult community nurse where she looked after people with a range of medical needs.

It’s a career she loved and still continues by working bank shifts.

However, she sees retail as caring for the community in a different way by helping people find the clothes and homeware that brighten their day.

At the same time, it helps the environment by rescuing great quality items from landfill.

Ultimately, the Leeds mum wants Naomi’s Vintage Boutique to help customers of all backgrounds and budgets find the items that feel “like them”.

At the same time, she’s proving to the world and to herself that it’s never too late to chase your dreams.

Naomi said: “I’m really keen for women to feel empowered and confident in themselves. Women are great, women can do things like running a business with all the other crazy stuff that's going on in their lives.

“It’s hard and tough, but life's too short not to try these adventures.”