Nora’s Gifts and Interiors which has been based in Ilkley for the past 12 years has seen its fair share of challenges and now thrives within the local community.

Owner Victoria Kemp explained why she decided to open her own business; “I enjoy being my own boss and the responsibilities that come with it. From a young age I loved doing things myself and early on I could sense that I would own a business of some kind. Also, Ilkley didn’t have an interior and gift shop so I saw a gap in the market.”

The shop has many things to offer visitors to Ilkley and for the local community as Victoria said; “We class over selves as a lifestyle shop, we sell everything from a greeting card, candles, new baby clothes, cushions, candles and home accessories. The best place to check out all our stock is through the website, we have a vast array of items that are perfect for giving as gifts.”

Victoria then went on to say what challenges she has faced running the business; “There has been so many challenges over the past 12 years, the biggest challenge was during the COVID-19 pandemic where we were allowed to stay open to trade as long as we followed all government protocols and protected staff and customers. We had to move premises three years ago unexpectedly so that was a challenge at the time.”

With an average of 4.5 star review of her shop Victoria went on to say; “We rely massively on our customers and making sure their every need is met. I started a website for the business as well and we had a lot of positive feedback on what we’re doing, but we are always looking to improve to boost the rating to 5/5. Our customers are the reason why we have been so successful.”

With the rising cost of energy bills affecting many businesses Victoria explained how her business would be affected and said; “It’s definitely a concern, as a business we knew it was going to happen sooner rather than later. It’s something that will affect all local businesses and we have to deal with it as best as we can.”

For any enquiries please contact the business on 01943 609911 or visit the store which is located on 58 The Grove, Ilkley LS29 9PA. Check their website out (https://www.noras-shop.com/), Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/nippynora/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/norasilkley). Also, the company has a page on Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.co.uk/NorasIlkley/)

 Article by Mohammed Saif Hussain