Cottage Designs Farsley: Meet the woman behind the much-loved boutique celebrating 20 years in Leeds

Jane Parkin opened Cottage Designs Boutique in 2003 after her husband Glenn, a plasterer, worked on the vacant unit in Farsley. As she had always been interested in fashion, Glenn asked her if she wanted to open her own shop.

Jane, 64, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I came to have a look at it - and I said yes. I handed my notice in there and then, it was the right place and the right time. I had no idea what I was doing, I’d nursed for 28 years, but I set out on a journey to try and find wholesalers and built it up from there.”

Split across four rooms in an old cottage in Farsley’s Town Street, Cottage Designs sells a range of women’s clothing - offering something “a little bit different”, Jane said. “One of my slogans is ‘be different, be you’. I look at what other people are buying, and I don’t buy it.”

Working for herself meant Jane had more time to spend with her mum, who had Alzheimer's. Tragically, after losing her mum, Glenn was diagnosed with prostate cancer and died during the pandemic in January 2021. He was cared for by Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice and he asked Jane to keep fundraising for the charity when he was gone.

“It was a tough five years,” Jane said. “Wheatfields were absolutely amazing with the support, there was always somebody at the end of the phone. Glenn really suffered, he had a rough time of it.

"We had an amazing GP who is now my friend and they were so supportive and helped us. Now I just want to give that back to other people, to help them continue to support other patients.”

Jane has now raised a total of £12,000 through fundraising events including a Ladies Day in her garden, which was first organised by Glenn in 2020, as well as fashion shows and raffles. And Jane’s regular customers - who travel to the shop from all over the country - have rallied around her and supported her fundraising efforts.

Jane said: “The shop’s heaving right now, it’s unbelievable how one little shop can be so popular. They ask for our opinion and we’ll always be honest, in a polite way. We’ve made so many friends over the years. And we listen to the customers, I think that comes from my nursing background.

“People get to know you and feel comfortable shopping, there’s no pressure here. It’s family, it’s a home from home - sometimes they're here for three hours, chatting and browsing. That’s what you’ve got to offer as an independent business.

“Since I lost Glenn, everybody here has helped me through that. And you’re working for yourself, so you certainly have the drive to get up and go. The more you put into it, the more your reward of having a successful business. And I think I can call it that now, after 20 years.”