Love vintage? Look no further. ‘What Alice Found’ is a quirky Alice in
Wonderland themed Bournemouth boutique exuding opulence and glamour – cultivated
by vintage connoisseur Nicki Grainger.
Stepping inside this mystical
little den, customers are immediately struck by the elegance of the décor and spellbinding
sum of clothes, shoes and collectables, coating the store from floor to
ceiling.
The fragrant aroma and gentle purr
of ambient music creates a timelessly glamorous vibe - everything one would
expect of a boutique.
Though what sets this store apart
is the enchanting Alice in Wonderland theme which runs subtly throughout; accomplished
with pastel hues, Disney themed accessories and a handful of clocks.
The amount of artistic planning
went into the shop is evident to any passer-by; today Nicki Grainger reveals
her inspiration and experiences.
Nicki is perched behind the till,
dressed in a caramel woollen jumper, layered above a leopard print blouse,
jeans, loafers and complimenting accessories – she looks every part the
business.
With a smile she opens the white
picket gate and ushers me behind the scenes, a polite offer of a cup of tea and
I’m sold. It’s completely comprehensible how quickly I fell for this place.
Looking around the store, my
inquisitiveness holds no bounds; I can’t even imagine how the creative process
in building this vintage emporium would have begun.
“I like challenges.” she states.
Nicki started her retail career in 2009 (with online vintage boutique The Cherry Closet), after graduating
from Fashion Journalism at Southampton Solent University.
“After I finished university I
tried interning but in a way I think that can put you off for life.” Nicki
explained, “I was able to use the skills I had gained from my degree to start
in retail.”
She opened We Found Alice in 2011, after huge successes with The Cherry Closet, “I missed meeting the
people wearing the clothes, with online retail you just package it up and send
it away.”
“I knew I wanted to build somewhere
that people could come to escape from real life, a place that would look
totally different each time a customer came in, an umbrella to suit loads of
different people under one roof.”
I ask Nicki what brought her to
Pokesdown, “I thought where shall I open
a shop? I considered Brighton or London but decided I wanted to be a part
of something really good. I am promoting the town as a vintage area and
hopefully in 5 years it will be completely buzzing!”
Local vintage shopper Anna Steele
recognises Nicki’s success, “What Alice
Found is fantastic! It’s by far my favourite vintage shop. Nicki is great
too; she just makes the whole experience more enjoyable.”
She sounds very satisfied explaining
the opportunities the shop has rewarded. “We have recently been featured in
Grazia magazine and I styled a shoot for The Daily Mail.”
She also provided costumes for the
theatre production of A Streetcar Named
Desire by Dramatic Productions. During this project she styled leading lady
and television actress Nicole Faraday. Nicki tells me it was her most memorable
styling experience as of yet - “She came in the shop, opened a bottle of wine
and took off all her clothes.”
Nicki doesn’t seem fazed at the
mention of the economic crisis either, “Every industry has suffered, but women
don’t stop shopping!” She even tells me that she believes the recession is one
of the reasons for the recent vintage craze in the fashion industry. “Make do
and mend is really in. You’ll get girls looking in their mum’s wardrobe for
vintage!”
It is evident that Nicki is taking advantage
of the vintage boom and her own boundless success when disclosing information about
her latest project, “I am soon to be opening a What Alice Found outlet in a Poole based a vintage warehouse named Molly’s Den.” I have no doubt this
venture will be yet another triumph.
So ladies, whether you’re a first
time vintage shopper or Audrey Hepburn aspirant, take a trip down to the
wonderland and see what Nicki has to offer, I can assure you, your experience
will be nothing less than magical.
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