A SINGLE mum has set up her own business selling jubilee inspired presents.
Nicola Penty-Alvarez, 26, of Cleveland Road, Uxbridge has been out of work since her daughter Maria was born three and a half years ago.
However, a dab hand at sewing since she was 13, Miss Penty-Alvarez decided to put her talents to use to try and beat the recession.
She told the Gazette: “I decided to make people presents last Christmas as, like a lot of people, money was very tight.
“I made tea cosies and cafetiere cosies and they went down really well so I thought about taking it further.”
She got in contact with the Prince’s Trust which offered a way in for her to learn about setting up her own business and working for herself.
At the end of the course she was given a £250 start up grant which helped her buy materials to get her on the road to success and expanded her range to include tea towels and aprons.
Miss Penty-Alvarez then set about producing more stock.
“I try to get as much done in the few hours when Maria is at nursery and then after she has gone to bed so it can be tricky finding the time,” he said.
“The stuff I was producing was already quite flowery and kitchy, with quite a few Union Jack designs so I thought I would continue that through with the jubilee coming up and see if that would spark an interest.
“I sold what I had made at a vintage fair last month which was encouraging. My next venture will be in Uxbridge on June 6, so I’m hoping for more success.” She will have a stall at the Mall Pavilions.
However, just working is something Miss Penty-Alvarez admits she is very proud of.
“I wanted to get back into work but did not think it would be like this.
“Who knows where it will go from here, next year I might be able to bring someone in to help me, maybe even open a shop one day,” she said. “It is very exciting.”
