A young couple who started a carpet business in the pandemic "with no money" have just opened a unit near Ashford.

Jess Howes and Dan Cole launched DSC Carpet and Flooring Ltd on Instagram in 2020.

They have now opened their first showroom, taking up a spot in Frith Road in Aldington.

"This has all come from starting our business during the pandemic, with no money," Jess said.

"My partner came to me with the idea and I said, you only live once – let's do it.

"So we've built it up from nothing, and word of mouth has been really good for us.

"I was 12 weeks pregnant at the time so we've started a new business all while becoming new parents as well."

Dan, 28, has been in the trade for about nine years.

He previously did an apprenticeship in flooring, and then went on to become a subcontractor for a large flooring company based in Folkestone.

Jess, 26, previously a self-employed marketeer, had already been able to leave a full-time job during the pandemic to go it alone due to having an influx in clients throughout Covid.

The pair decided to merge their skills and launch their business to "see what they could do".

They launched their new business on Instagram while they were finding their feet and gradually built up their customer base.

'It's become manic and we've just hired an apprentice as well...'

"Ever since, it's become manic and we've just hired an apprentice as well," Jess said.

"Before, we were storing carpets in my car port at home, then we rented a garage for six months but we outgrew it in two months.

"Now we have space for people to come and look at the samples, to sell any off cuts, and store customers' carpets so the quality will be better and we can provide a more affordable service."

The showroom opened last month and the team ran a raffle on the day with all proceeds going to Melanoma UK.

They raised over £100 and other Ashford businesses took part, including ONPizza, Caffeine and Fizz and Pickett's Valeting.

The showroom will be open for appointment only for the moment, and the team will be moving over to a bigger unit in the same premises in the future.