A mother of three has said that she is ‘looking forward’ to welcoming people into her new clothing and homeware shop in the heart of Caversham.

Samantha Smith has owned The Collective, in Caversham, for five years, and has now decided to expand the shop after an empty unit became available.

The Edit, located on Prospect Street, is based around independent brands that Sam handpicks from businesses across the UK.

She said: "I am so excited to open the doors after six weeks of hard work.

"All the brands that we supply are good quality and it means I am supporting local businesses and suppliers."

She explained how since the closure of a clothing store in Caversham during the pandemic, there has been a gap in the area for independent clothing brands.

She said: "It is what Caversham is missing."

Berkshire-based business stocked within the store include ‘Jack and Freeda’ jewellery line and Stella Franks jewellery.

She also explained how people in Caversham love to support independent businesses.

She added: "I find that in Caversham people want to support independents and they want to see new shops opening that sell high quality unique products."

The shop opened on Friday, November 8, with Sam bringing on two new members of staff.

She said: "So far, shoppers have reacted very positively to the shop and what we offer."

Sam also revealed that her aunt, supermodel Twiggy, came to visit on Monday, November 11.

Sam said she "absolutely loved it."

Sam shared a post on The Edit’s Instagram which read: "So lovely to welcome the incredible model and actress Dame Twiggy @twiggylawson and the extremely talented illustrator @carlydrawing to kick off our first week opening.

"We did a sneaky-ish soft launch on Friday and were blown away by your support and kind words over the weekend.

"We have lots of new stock coming in all of the time and have something for everyone and all occasions.

"We’re so excited to now be open."

The Caversham business owner also explained how she first opened The Collective after moving to Caversham.

She said: " I hadn’t planned to open any cafes or shops because I had spent many years running a café/bar in London.

"However throughout the years I discovered something was missing within the town."

The Edit sells a host of products including women’s clothing, homeware, kids accessories, beauty and skincare and jewellery.

Some of the homeware products sold in The Edit can also be found in The Collective.