Frodsham Nub News aims to support our community, promoting shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups.

Over the last couple of months, we have been talking to some of these local businesses and organisations for our 'Up Close in Frodsham' series.

This week, we chatted to Fee Law, owner of Henrietta's Attic.

Henrietta's Attic, which can be found in Helsby, is your go-to shop for bespoke furniture, colourful wall art and locally crafted 'oddities'. It is also your local stockist of 'the best furniture paint in the world', Annie Sloan Chalk Paints®.

According to Fee, the shop "is designed to be a 'home-from-home', a colourful and relaxed environment, to showcase high quality, locally made products.

"I'm a bit of an addict to furniture restoration and design," Fee tells me. "It started when I painted a table and chairs about 10 years ago, and then became a bit of a hobby. Then gradually I realised I was always looking for furniture, and anything else that I could paint!

"I opened the shop in February 2018, just with second-hand furniture which I'd collected myself. I just progressed from there really, getting involved with the different stockists like Rebel Walls and Annie Sloan paints.

"Now, the shop is more about people buying the paint and having a go themselves, which is a great achievement!"

Furniture restoration

Fee is a big believer in the value of up-cycling and redesigning items of furniture: "I'm all for encouraging people to take on their own projects."

"It's a throwaway world now, but people don't see what they can achieve through a simple change of colour or making small adjustments to suit the style of their home."

"Don't go down the avenue of paying loads of money to get a piece painted – you can do it yourself!"

Fee is always on hand to offer tips and guidance on the painting techniques or creative design which will give that old signature piece the contemporary revamp it needs.

Funnily enough, in her furniture restoration work, Fee used to be known as The Revamp Tramp. "That was one of the options for the shop name, but I thought I should go for something more sophisticated!" she laughs.

I ask Fee how she came up with the unique Henrietta's Attic name, and she says that it is all down to her little boy.

"Henrietta is a shade of pink in the Annie Sloan paint range and my little boy, who was four at the time, was going through a really big pink stage. His name is Henri, and he just turned round to me one day and said "Henrietta's".

"I asked him what other word might go with that name and he said "attic". I have no idea how he knew what an attic was, but that name just stuck! I think it's got a nice ring to it."

Supporting small businesses

"My customers are normally looking for something unique and completely different to what you'd find in other shops," Fee says. "I've got to love it before I bring it into the shop."

It is for this reason that she carefully sources her unusual and atmospheric collection of vases, ornaments, wall art, gifts and other bits 'n bobs from local independent businesses.

"I try to promote other small businesses where I can," Fee says.

One example of this approach is Fee's work with artist, Marta Hutt, who only started painting in recent years, but whose striking portraits have been featured in dozens of interior design magazines from across the globe.

Through some initial messages on social media, Fee and Marta have become good friends, and one of the walls in Henrietta's Attic is dedicated to a display of Marta's artwork.

"It's nice because people who follow her work have come into the shop to see it on the wall," Fee adds.

Lockdown

Until lockdown lifts, Fee is offering an order and collect service for local customers. You can reserve items via the Henrietta's Attic website or Facebook page, or giving Fee a ring.

Henrietta's Attic is also the place to go for luxury, locally produced Christmas wreaths, which you can pre-order now.

If you're walking past the shop, look out for the shop's Christmas tree, sitting pretty in pink in the window!