Page 19 - Oundle Life May 2025

house full of antiques, as my Mother is a keen
collector and she had her own small business
selling Victorian pine furniture, kitchenalia and
china. I used to love helping her at fairs. I think
once you have the bug of buying antiques and
vintage it never really goes away.
To have this mentality is such a good
way to shop, brilliant for the planet. Th e
ultimate way to recycle!
Describe your business in fi ve
words? Decorative, sustainable, eclectic,
country house.
What makes Iris and Mabel
diff erent? I aim to source beautiful
antiques and vintage homeware that
you can use and appreciate everyday. I
do my research on each item to ensure
that I give as much information as possible.
Do you have a showroom? Not at the
moment, everything I sell is mainly through my
website, which is essentially my shop front. I
regularly use social media to advertise my stock
I think once
you have the
bug of buying
antiques and
vintage it
never really
goes away
too. I have also featured in magazines such
as House & Garden, Homes & Antiques and
Reclaim – a great source of exposure.
Proudest moment? When I was asked to
stand at Burghley Horse Trials last year in their
retail shopping area. It’s an event I have attended
lots of times as a customer.
I had a huge space to fi ll so it was
a big undertaking, but with the help
of family and friends it was a very
successful four days.
Any future ambitions? Th e dream
was to always have a shop, so this is
something I would explore in the near
future.
Funniest moment? I was at a
Christmas fair in London and Kirstie
Allsopp from Location, Location, Location
came to my stand and wanted to buy something,
unfortunately it was a decoration for the stand
not anything I was selling!
www.iris-and-mabel.com
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