Tilly Wilson, from Botley, retired her pen and notepad to fulfil her dream of creating her own firm, Collecting Seashells.

Born out of lockdown and Tilly’s love of decorating her home, Collecting Seashells is an online home décor boutique, providing its customers with a host of hand-selected treasures.

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By bringing together beautiful pieces and the latest trends, Tilly carefully selects products to help customers design unique spaces that reflect their personality and echo their style.

"It’s the little touches that create authentic spaces which genuinely mirror the people who live there, telling their story and accentuating personal memories," she says.

Something that sets Collecting Seashells apart from other independent online retailers is the absolute dedication to making the experience as positive as possible for the customer.

Tilly adds: "We’re all about those finishing touches. Each order is individually gift wrapped in beautiful seashell tissue paper which I designed myself, and we write little notes to customers if we know it’s for a special occasion."

With the help of General Manager Katie, all the products stocked by Collecting Seashells are curated and hand-picked by Tilly.

Together, they regularly attend trade fairs to meet new suppliers and are very specific about only picking products they would put in their own home.

In future, they hope to diversify and provide collections that push the boundaries of the brand.

A recent collection was curated specifically by Katie and is designed for the first-time buyer and student markets, offering more affordable, but equally unique and stylish pieces for the first move away from home.

To reward returning customers, a loyalty programme where people can earn ‘Seashells’ and turn them into money off vouchers was also launched at the end of last year and has been well-received.

Under construction is a pre-loved online marketplace for customers looking to sell some of their vintage home décor.

"We want to be sustainable as well," adds Tilly. "As much as we are selling new home accessories, we want to encourage our customers to recycle what they no longer want. Our marketplace will give them a free platform to do that, all with the goal of helping reduce the amount we throw away."