A shop believed to be Wimborne’s smallest – measuring just eight feet 10 inches wide – proved a big draw when it was opened by the town’s Mayor.
The premises, at 44 High Street, covers just 148 square feet, but has been transformed by Richard Smart, boss of expanding homeware business Hintons.
Selling fine, British-made gifts and stylish home accessories, Hintons Wimborne creates two new jobs and is the second Hintons shop to open in just 12 months.
It joins Hintons Broadstone and the online business www.hintonshome.com, based in Poole.
Mr Smart said: “I’m very excited about bringing Hintons to Wimborne and to have what looks like the smallest and quirkiest shop in the town.
“Hintons prides itself on offering the customer a selection of products for the home that are jaunty, whimsical and hard to find on most high streets, so Wimborne is the perfect fit for us.
“The town embraces old and new, the stylish and unique.
“Our customers can buy the beautiful pie birds their grandmothers once used, alongside retro telephones, fine bed linen, stylish clocks and quirky British made gifts for their friends and loved ones.
“And we think people will be amazed at what we have created in this small but perfectly-formed space.
Cutting a tape-measure-inspired ribbon at the official opening, Mayor, councillor Andy Hampton said: “I’m very pleased to welcome Hintons to Wimborne.
“Richard has used some clever carpentry and design to create a small but beautiful shop, which will be an excellent addition to the town’s diverse retail community.”
Richard Smart’s great-grandfather started Hintons in 1933, as a gift and homewares wholesaler.
Mr Smart, 33, and a former John Lewis retail manager, re-invented the business online in 2011.
He now employs five staff and plans to open three more Hintons shops in the next four years.
