Lisa Talbot has opened a clothes shop called Dejanew on Stanley Front Street, after turning her grief-driven shopping habit into a business.
After losing her dad two years ago, Lisa said she "didn't want to be here". Buying clothes became her way of coping with grief, and soon her home was "full to the brim".
"I was constantly buying clothes," said Lisa. "I'd buy things and wouldn't even think about it and then I was left with loads of things."
From coping to business
Now Lisa has found a way to turn her behaviour into a business and has opened her own clothes shop, Dejanew. It's a major step for the 58-year-old, who has no entrepreneurial experience and was previously out of work after being diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND).
The condition affects her mental health and also causes physical symptoms such as losing her balance.
"I just needed to do this because I would have ended up not here otherwise," said Lisa, from Stanley.
She added: "I've had to struggle with my mental health all of my life. I've tried to take my life a few times and my dad found me once.
"When I lost my dad I thought he wouldn't want this. He wouldn't want me sitting here crying all the time. So I thought I want a shop and I want to do this for my dad."
Opening Dejanew
Lisa began enquiring about some of the empty shops along Front Street, in Stanley, and a nearby business put her in touch with the store she has now moved into. She said it took 13 days to set up her clothes shop, which officially opened on Monday (August 3) at 75 Front Street, in Stanley.
The shop has two floors, and Lisa plans to open an entertainment space upstairs in the future, where she will offer activities such as karaoke for children. Meanwhile, on the ground floor, Dejanew sells clothes purchased at wholesale from businesses such as Shein and TikTok shop.
Challenges and support
Reflecting on how the business is going so far, Lisa admits that the journey has been difficult because of her FND and having to learn about running a business, which requires a lot of paperwork. But she is grateful for the support of friends and family who have given their time to help, and she is determined to make it work.
Lisa said: "It's going slow at the minute but I haven't had the money to put any advertising up. I can't even put a sign up because I can't afford it at the minute, so I've just been relying on word of mouth really and a few people have been coming up and having a look."
She added: "My dad would be so proud. I wish he was here but I know he's watching over me."
