One of Merseyside’s youngest entrepreneurs has opened a high street shop within a year of setting up her own business.
Rachel Gilbertson, now 21, started selling her hand-made and costume jewellery along with bags and accessories at craft fairs when she was just 19 in May 2013 after having a burning ambition to run her own business.
The Crosby teenager is founder and owner of Roxiie’s Treasure, which sells costume jewellery, bags, accessories and a few other interesting odds and ends.
She started selling at craft fairs as well as online before renting a space within an arts and crafts emporium upstairs in a vintage tearooms to display and sell her wares.
Gilbertson said: “It was a really good starting point for me to get my business out there to the public.”
The youngster went to Rotunda Community College in Kirkdale, Liverpool where she did a course on setting up your own business, learning about business plans, costs, advertising and marketing.
“They helped me find support and I started going to The Women’s Organisation to do more courses.”
After completing the courses, Rachel still wasn’t sure what to do and gained employment in bar work. She said: “I started selling things on social media – my old possessions at first. Then I bought a box of old jewellery and did quite well off that.”
However, earlier this year Gilbertson expanded and took the step of opening up her own shop on the high street to grow her business. Her shop, The Treasure Trove, opened on College Road in Crosby, Liverpool in May 2014.
“The biggest challenge is trying to get your name out there and building up your clientele – that is a challenge when you don’t have many funds. I have always wanted a job that I would enjoy doing and I think starting it this young is really good.”