A Staffordshire businessman is reversing retail trends by opening his first bricks and mortar homeware store - after operating an online-only business for seven years.
Steve Pym's store, Black by Design, opened in the £3 million Piazza building at Mercia Marina in Willington, after he founded the business online with wife Lynette in 2010.
Steve, who lives in Dods Leigh, said: "I had been involved in the manufacturing industry until 2010 but my wife had always been involved in retail. When we set up Black by Design we started off selling just black homeware items but we soon expanded the range of colours.
"We've been growing year on year and we decided that now was the time to open a store. It won't be quite the same as obviously we are limited as to how much stock we can have in the shop, it will just be a snapshot, but if a customer sees something and wants it in a different colour then we can organise that.
"The marina is a fabulous place and will be the perfect venue to showcase the brands we sell. You won't find many of the brands that we sell anywhere else in this neck of the woods. We are very Scandi-influenced and I would liken our range to John Lewis."
He added: "I just don't think we would get the kind of footfall on the high street that we will get here at the marina. We are very excited about moving into the marina and also a little apprehensive but we were so pleased when we saw the Piazza completed, it has exceeded our expectations."
Joining Black By Design in the Piazza are lifestyle store Twigg Home and William Wheelwright Hair Salon, which have both already opened, an Indian-style tapas restaurant, Bluebird Gallery and pharmaceutical firm Bionical.
Robert Neff, general manager of the marina, said: "As a businessman who believes passionately in places and people, it is wonderful to see a successful internet retailer reversing the trend and opening a bricks and mortar store. At Mercia Marina we wholeheartedly welcome the unusual and trend-setting."
Black by Design opened at the marina on Saturday, March 24.
