Elsie’s Attic has a new HQ and it’s an old church! We have long wanted a space that is more than just a warehouse; somewhere with character and style where we can also hold events and invite our gorgeous customers in for 1:1 styling sessions! So, you can imagine how excited we were to find this amazing old building, for sale and just up the road from us in Leicestershire!
This building is an old Wesleyan Chapel, which has for the last 50 years, been an old church hall, in a small village in the North West of Leicestershire, Whitwick. The hall was no longer needed by the Church Council so has been unused for some time and was in need of some love and restoration.
We came back from the Somerset coast to view it as soon as possible in July 2020 and as soon as we saw it we put in an offer which was accepted. We started dreaming of restoration projects and began to channel our inner Angel and Dick . . . (you watch Escape to the Chateau, right?!). Little did we know, we had months ahead of us of to get planning permission to use it for a place of work! We had to convince the planners that this was no longer a community facility (it had been closed up and unused for years!) and that we would save and restore this building. Eventually the planners gave us permission to use the hall for work purposes and we literally nearly burst with excitement, what a fab Christmas present that was – yes, it too that long!!
It still took a few more weeks to finalise the sale as the pandemic has just thrown everything off! But on Friday the 19th February we finally got the keys to our very own church!!
There are many nooks and crannies inside the buildings. There is one large hall where we will store our stock and the Customer Magic Makers will pick and pack all of the orders. Our Customer Happiness Team will also base themselves there too, to be on hand to answer all queries and questions. There is also a room at the back of the main hall that Mr Attic and I will use as our base. Along with a large kitchen we also have two big toilets blocks and a large foyer. It is this area we have designs on to turn it either into some sort of outlet shop or a space for styling sessions!
The smaller building (the one that looks like a face) is the oldest part and is over 200 years old. There is an upstairs space on that side of the building and, once renovated, it will be a beautiful space for us to hold events such as meet ups for our Book Club, arm knitting workshops, fashion events and much more!!
No doubt we will post a gazillion updates over the next few weeks and months as we renovate and restore the property. The removal vans are booked for the 25th of March so wish us luck!!
Much love Amanda & Steve xxx
