The owners of a new high street store say they are determined to make shopping a pleasure after falling out of love with online sales.

Michelle Millard and Cassie Van Lierde are behind Boutika in Tenterden high street - a clothing and accessories boutique which has filled the former Phase Eight unit.

The pair, who both previously ran stores in the town centre, decided to join forces after feeling online shopping does not offer the same experience as in-person sales.

Their site opened last month between Caffè Nero and the empty M&Co unit, filling a prime spot in the town centre.

"Our shops closed at different times and after Covid, we found we preferred selling face-to-face as opposed to online," Ms Van Lierde said.

"We were playing with the idea of joining together and then an opportunity came up for this unit so we grasped it.

“We have worked together a lot at pop-up events and we met through our old shops – I ran Cashara and Michelle had Dotty Diva.

“Online is very competitive but I know so many people who say their product arrived and it wasn’t right so they had to send it back.

"We feel strongly about making shopping a pleasure and enjoyable.”

The pair say they have decided to stock a large variety of products, including homeware, a baby range and fashion including handbags, clothes and accessories.

“The cost-of-living crisis has been a big factor in our process because we are taking a risk given the current climate," Ms Van Lierde said.

“We are very mindful of the times we are in and this is why we have looked at the products we are selling and the range.

“We want to offer something a bit different because I think people want to support independents more.

"We’ve had a lot of support locally and I think after lockdown, people want to go back to going out and shopping.”

Ms Millard says the pair are being supported by residents who have shopped with them before.

“Even other shop owners have been helping us out, for example, we had some of Crew Clothing’s old items after it closed a few weeks ago," she said.

“We have upcycled a lot of stuff and tried to cut costs by doing a lot ourselves. It looks stunning in the shop.”