Annabelle 87, in Crouch Street, has been featured in the Telegraph’s Top 50 independent boutiques in the UK as the only store from Essex.
Owner Shelly Warren, 47, of Colchester, has been running the shop for two years following a successful career in fashion and design.
She said: “I managed a company where I would retail and manufacture for the High Street.
“So, I would work with the likes of Primark, I’d be like the middleman designing and manufacturing, and working on all the fabrics.”
Following the closure of former boutique Annabelle, Shelly decided to open up her own under a similar name but with a fresh touch.
“Annabelle was closing and I thought it might be a good idea to open a new shop and bring a kind of newness to it with more sustainable brands,” she said,
Being mentioned in a national newspaper among the best boutiques in the country has, unsurprisingly, left the team at Annabelle87 ecstatic.
Shelly said: “It was a really good feeling to get that recognition that actually we’re doing something right and people enjoying the experience in the shop.
“We were overjoyed to even get a mention.”
The shop has been described in The Telegraph as “a dopamine hit of bright, bold contemporary designers” by fashion editor, stylist and author Erica Davies.
The store features many Scandinavian brands and is an oasis of colours, for women between the ages of 30 to 60.
“I’m kind of quite eclectic and I’ve always I’ve always been to sage and bright colours and I’m probably if people see what I wear that I kind of I have a bit of a clash,” said Shelly.
“They’re kind of I suppose for everyday women, looking for something different. I’ve got lots of women coming in who have the dynamics have changed in the office that they can dress with less suited restrictions.”
As well as focusing on sustainable fashion, the shop also features different price brackets to make it accessible for every customer.
Annabelle87 is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5.30pm.
