An interior designer and retailer from St George has teamed up with a children’s clothes and toy seller in a Hamilton city Christmas pop-up store.

Gregory Nelmes’s Gregory Nelmes Home and Jennifer Page’s Practically Perfect have joined forces to sell their wares in Washington Mall over the festive season.

Mr Nelmes said: “I was looking at the market in terms of the uptick — we’re out of the recession — and getting excited about that.

“I looked at St George’s and wondered what the traffic was like in Hamilton and we decided to do the pop-up. There was space in Hamilton and the landlords were open to this.”

Mr Nelmes, who owns Gregory Nelmes Home for retail and Gregory Nelmes Interior Design for bespoke consultancy work in Duke of York Street in the old town, specialises remodelled and updated classic furniture, as well as selling brand-new modern pieces, artwork and other home furnishings.

Ms Page, who has a family background in the retail business, worked in the corporate world for years, but has struck out on her own account with the exclusive rights to the English Powell Craft range of children’s clothing and toys in Bermuda — a high-quality range with a traditional feel.

Mr Nelmes said that the two would gauge business over the festive period with a view to taking a longer lease on the premises, located on the walkway off Church Street.

He added: “Opening a pop-up cuts the risk compared to signing a year or a two-year risk. There is an option for a longer-term contract if it’s successful.”

Mr Nelmes said: “We’re happy to see the foot traffic in Hamilton and people are coming in — we’ve had comparable sales in our first week compared to St George’s and hopefully things will get even better as Christmas approaches.”

He added that having a shop window in the city was also a boost for his design consultancy business.

Mr Nelmes said: “One thing I like about being in both stores is it gives me such great face time with people you just don’t get in an office. You are your own brand and sometimes you are your own best advertisement.”

The store features furniture, including Mr Nelmes signature range of garden furniture, as well as accessories like lamps, mirrors and vases, plus Ms Page’s all-natural fibre range of cotton clothing and toys like dolls and teddy bears.

Full article can be found at The Royal Gazette.