A man who started his first business in the kitchen of a Northfleet flat has celebrated the first anniversary of another electrical goods store, declaring: “It was always my dream to have one in Gravesend.”

Jay Shelton, 47, opened his latest family-run business store just a year ago in Gravesend’s St George’s shopping centre, selling domestic electrical appliances including fridges, washing machines and cookers.

It is his second such store – the other one called Dad’s is in Perry Street, Northfleet. He discovered his talent for business back in 1991 when, temporarily unemployed, he set about repairing his washing machine.

“I realised that I had made a good job of it and so started doing electrical repairs at people’s houses going around in a van, and fixing them in my kitchen,” said Jay.

Since then he has never looked back, opening Dad’s in 2006 and then Shelton’s, the latter of which celebrated its first anniversary with balloons supplied and arranged by local firm Bustles and Breeches.

He said: “Customer response at Shelton’s has been great and so have sales.

“It was always my dream to have an electrical goods store in Gravesend.” Jay Shelton

“And we’ve just introduced repairing appliances.”

With the support of his wife Debbie and their manager Dave Canderton, Jay soon hopes to be joined full time by his children Sophie-Jaye and Ben.

“Ben is 20 and presently studying business at Nottingham University while Sophie has completed business studies at Greenwich University.

“Soon they’ll be telling me how to run things, which is not a bad idea as I want to retire one day!”