Summer outfit ideas and a new website | Love The Wendy House near Maidenhead

So many small businesses have had to adapt how they work during the Covid-19 pandemic, many do not have websites​ and there are real people behind them still needing to earn a living.  I have always enjoyed supporting small local businesses on my blog and have made many new friends from networking events and collaborating.  

On this blog post I am bringing you the background story from Wendy who runs a gorgeous home based boutique in Maidenhead, called The Wendy House.  Wendy is actually a bookkeeper but a number of years ago retrained and became a nail technician alongside her home based bookkeeping business.  She then ended up buying and selling a few accessories to her nail customers and when she realised she had accumulated quite a lot of stock she decided to make a bigger leap, had a fabulous garage conversion done to use as her 'shop' and ​The Wendy House was born.

The Wendy House has a large selection women's clothes (brands include Cream, Red Button and Luella), gifts, accessories and scarves.

Above: blue jersey camouflage dress from Cream, all details here.  Also available in khaki and also available as a skirt.

Most of her customers are personal visitors but suddenly that stopped and without a viable website, Wendy needed to make a decision to close completely and be left with a lot of stock or change the way she sells and interacts with her customers.

She set about creating content for social media and doing facebook lives, she decided to use the opportunity to have some mini-sales and clear some older but still gorgeous stock.  

Wendy isn't a fashion guru or a stylist.  But like me she enjoys fashion and she has a great eye for choosing lovely things to stock in The Wendy House, and she always looks stylish and gorgeous herself.  Whenever I visit I always come away with a bag full of wonderful goodies.

How can you shop with The Wendy House now?

Well first of all, Wendy has worked really hard to get hew new website up and running!  This isn't easy with limited technical ability, a tight budget and any help only accessible via zoom.  Her son has been doing a fabulous job but Wendy knew she was the only one that could upload photos and give us all an accurate description of her lovely products.

The new website is still in a work in progress but it is live - and ready for you to buy from!

You can find it here: The Wendy House, Maidenhead or follow her on Facebook Love The Wendy House.

If you buy before Sunday 31st May 2020 then Wendy is supporting DASH (a Berkshire based charity that supports men, women and children who have suffered domestic abuse) and 10% of all sales will be donated to DASH.  Please put DASH in the comment at checkout.

She really has done a fantastic job!  And her and I have been modelling some of the clothes - two different sizes, hopefully to give a representation of what styles suit different shapes and heights.

Wendy has also bee going live on facebook almost daily in her The Wendy House VIP's group and telling her customers about her latest offers, sharing style tips and outfit ideas.  She's got out of her comfort zone and is creating videos and doing more photos.

And Wendy also offers a virtual shopping experience.  For example if you need a gift for a friend, you can arrange to speak to Wendy over video call and she will take you on a virtual tour of the shop, showing you what gifts she has.  She can help you choose a card and if you would like she can wrap the gift, write the card with your own message and then she can post the gift directly to your friend or loved one.  Or she can post it to you.  Or if you fancy a new outfit or would like to look at her jewellery, scarves or bags for example, then you can have a virtual shopping call, Wendy is really good at understanding what sizes might work and hasn't yet had a return!  

Above: silver grey pleated skirt, a selection of colours available here.  Tee shirt is from a selection at The Wendy House - details here.

On this blog post I am sharing some of my favourite picks from The Wendy House, things I been trying on (keeping some), and enjoying wearing during lockdown.

I interviewed Wendy a while back on my Embracing Life (in Midlife) series, you can read it here.  When we are finally allowed back to (some sort of) normal life (it is on its way), Wendy and I are looking forward to lunch together, a glass or two of wine and planning a collaboration, we would love to jointly host a shopping evening at The Wendy House.

Wendy has a lovely selection of Holster sandals and summer pumps, not currently on the website, but do contact her for sizes and prices as they are all now reduced.  Also shown here a selection of jewellery (necklace and bracelets) and Wendy has some really fabulous cross body bags with removable strap that you can change to suit your outfit with a selection of straps available to buy here - the turquoise blue one is £17.

Below: lots of comfortable harem and yoga trousers available as well as wide leg culotte styles.  My scarf is also from a selection at The Wendy House.

Wendy and I have been going live together on facebook during lockdown, we have had some fun chats, often over a glass of wine.  We've talked about cross body bags, comfortable laid back style, scarves, dresses and anything else we can think about!

​If you see something on my instagram that isn't on the website, do get in touch with Wendy, she has so much more than is currently on the website, she also adds lots to her own instagram and facebook pages.  Visit this page to find out more about her virtual shopping service.

Thank you so much for your support of small businesses like Wendy's, and thank you for supporting my blog.  This isn't a sponsored post, I have either purchased the outfits I am wearing or had them on loan for photographs.  

Love from
Michelle xx
​

Did you miss?

Embracing Life (in Midlife) | Wendy from the Wendy House near Maidenhead
How to get a fabulous self tan this summer

Above: Wendy looking fabulous in her Cream khaki skirt from The Wendy House - also available in blue.

​​I link up with:

Is This Mutton
#WowOnWednesday 

​Mummabstylish
#Chic&Stylish

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