AFTER decades spent working in Hong Kong, a woman came home and took over the business where her late mum previously worked.
With experience in property management and teaching English as a foreign language, Linda Williams returned home and then took over Gifts and Gadgets in Earlestown twelve months ago.
Opting for a less stressful career after her time in the Far East, Linda discovered that her mum Vera, who passed away in 2019, had worked in the very same shop on Market Street more than 30 years previously.
Linda previously told the Star that she felt as if taking over the shop was "meant to be", and she has expanded the business to sell a wider variety of cards, gifts, candles, and wax melts, as well as baby goods, dolls, and jewellery.
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Linda, 60, from Wargrave, said: "We have our good days and bad days because it can be really quiet on the high street at times, but I'm still here and have just renewed my lease so I must be doing something right.
"This shop has been selling cards and gifts for 30+ years and I'm happy with how I've expanded our products and what we sell.
"It is a lovely feeling knowing that my mum used to work here and we have some lovely regulars who always come in to support us."
Although Linda remembers a thriving Earlestown, particularly on market days, the town has suffered in recent years, especially with the rise of online shopping and retail parks, as well as the pandemic and cost of living crisis.
This is why St Helens Council has submitted £28m plans in the hope of providing a lifeline to the town, which includes a wholesale transformation of the market square, a revamp of the town hall, and improvements to the town's railway station.
Linda hopes that the multi-million-pound plans will be the lifeline that Earlestown needs to bring it back to its former glory, as she feels that the town and shop fronts need to be made more attractive to encourage more people and traders into Earlestown.
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