IT’S a shop dedicated to giving a new lease of life to old furniture – while the store next door is kitting people out in stylish “pre-loved” clothes.

Bespoke Home and its neighbour Repeat are both in the business of helping people be stylish and environmentally responsible.

Our Trader of the Week, Bespoke Home, run by Sabrina Lock, has only been trading since May, although it was all set to open before the long winter lockdown last December.

“I can turn a piece of boring furniture into a piece of art by decoupage,” says Sabrina.

Visitors can see the workshop where Sabrina works on “upcycling” the furniture. They can see the Mint By Michelle range of artisan papers she uses for the decoupage.

It is a technique that has been given a boost by the popularity of TV’s Money For Nothing.

“An awful lot of people have an old boring piece of furniture but it’s still serviceable,” says Sabrina.

Furniture sold at Bespoke Home is mainly small storage pieces such as chests of draws and bureaux, as well as tables and mirrors.

There are also “statement chairs” – new chairs upholstered in the buyer’s choice of fabrics.

Next to the shop on Bournemouth Road, Parkstone, is Repeat, which Sabrina’s daughter Jemma Harrison runs with business partner Anna Maria Dew.

The neighbouring shops are also linked by their desire to avoid waste and find a future for things that might previously have been thrown away.

Repeat – with its slogan “Buy, wear, swap, repeat” – offers people the chance of a stylish new look from clothes that someone else has finished with.

People can bring in their used clothes for a cash payment, or get 20 per cent more for them if they take a store credit instead. That credit can be used on the shop’s website too.

The trend for “throwaway” fashion is a big environmental concern. Some high street stores offer very low-price clothes which are set to be thrown away. And many people order clothes online and miss the deadline to return them – or buy from sellers who don’t accept returns.

“We often tell people the only way you can buy clothes sustainably is to buy second hand,” says Anna Maria.

“Some people like to change their look a lot. They can wear something a few times and anything they buy from us, they’re welcome to bring back.”

The shop has links with a church and a refuge, so what can’t be sold does not go to waste.

Its website and social media channels are highly popular, with the website updated every evening Tuesday to Thursday. Rather than just posting pictures of the clothes, Jemma models them for people to see on the site and on Facebook Live broadcasts.

“We’re giving people more and more information to make more informed purchases,” says Anna Maria.