THE owners of an independent shop in Witney have received the funding they need to stay open.

Anne Hudson, 36, and Jodie Gaul, 39, appealed to the community last month to help them raise £3,000 to save their pop-up store in Marriotts Walk – The Shop.

The pair set up a page on fundraising website Crowdfunder and are now ‘following their dream’ after smashing their target and raising £3,625 in just 28 days.

The total was raised four days before the deadline on the website.

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On the Crowdfunder page, the pair offered rewards in return for donations in the form of gifts.

Rewards included eco-friendly tote bags, savings jars and wooden, engraved badges.

Mrs Gaul said: “We’re overwhelmed that we reached the target so early, we thought we’d be waiting until the last minute to get the money we needed but it ended up being earlier than we expected.

“We’re honestly lost for words and appreciate that people wanted to keep The Shop in their community.

Oxford Mail:

“We want people to see that it’s just a couple of mums behind this business and that anybody can do what we’re doing and follow their dream.

“Everyone that comes in to the shop is so happy we’re open again, which is great to see and hear.

“We’re now going to carry on moving forward with the business and create a permanent residence here in Witney.”

Since receiving the news, and re-opening the store last month, the duo have kept themselves busy by sourcing new products for the store from local businesses.

Mrs Gaul added: “We’ve made a lot of changes to the shop now that we know it’s a permanent fixture.

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“We’d also like to make a corner of the shop somewhere that pop-ups can come in and hopefully that will bring events and customers into Marriotts Walk and Witney.

“We’re fully booked until May with people coming in, and future projects include a ‘chocolate takeover’ at Easter and a children’s drawing workshop.”

The owners are also still hoping to offer workshops at the store so the public can learn new skills and crafts.

Going forward with the business, the pair – who were both born and brought up in Witney – are keen to employ someone to manage the store for them at weekends, in an attempt to lessen their own intensive workloads.

Away from The Shop, Mrs Hudson runs textile business AH Boutique, whilst Mrs Gaul set up and manages personalised gift website illustratemyname.com

Oxford Mail:

The Shop was initially a three-month pop-up venue.

It was opened by Witney MP Robert Courts in June last year.

In September, owing to the success of its first few months, The Shop stayed open until Christmas.

It was after the festive period had passed that the store’s owners decided to set up the Crowdfunder, in the hope that they could fulfil their ambitions and turn the pop up store into a full time shop in the Witney shopping centre.

The store itself sells a range of lifestyle gifts and homewares, most of which are locally made and sourced, with up to 50 small businesses selling their stock under The Shop’s roof.