A CWMBRAN woman with a passion for vintage goods has opened a vintage and gift shop in the town.

Rosa Newton opened her business ‘Reloved By Rosa’ on Victoria Street, Old Cwmbran, selling a range of vintage, upcycled furniture, ornaments, china, furnishings and hand crafted items.

On Sunday, Miss Newton held an official all-day opening for the store, complete with tea and refreshments.

Miss Newton said “I’ve always loved going to auctions and upcycling furniture. My ethos is to be as environmentally friendly as possible, adding value to items and making them into something new and unique - and ideally with zero waste.

“I love bespoke, hand made items and I am keen to make sure that local makers also are represented in the shop. In addition, I would like to cater for customers who are looking for something a bit different. For example, I carry a range of vintage gifts for men.”

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Earlier this year, Miss Newton attended the Torfaen Pop Up Business School organised by the Torfaen Economy and Enterprise team at Torfaen Council, which gave her the confidence to make a go of the business.

She said: “I really liked the Pop Up Business School’s approach, especially when it comes to the financial side of the business and not getting into debt – it makes complete sense to me. For example I’ve created a free website, have exchanged and swapped services with other like minded business owners and concentrated on attracting customers first and foremost.”

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(Rosa Newton who has opened Reloved by Rosa in Old Cwmbran the shop also hosts Chelsie Wharton (centre) with Letters and Petls and Aimee Lou's Attic with Aimee Parfitt (R)

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In terms of the future plans for the business Miss Newton is focused on opening up more opportunities for bespoke gift providers to come on board, promoting her personalised furniture upcycling service and also developing ‘Upcyclers United’, a craft group where like minded individuals can meet, help each other and share advice and guidance on projects.

Councillor Richard Clark, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Economy, Skills and Regeneration at Torfaen Council said: “It’s a pleasure to hear that a new retail business has opened in Torfaen and especially one that has, at its heart, a genuine desire to be environmentally friendly through upcycling and bringing new life to items. I wish Rosa all the very best.”

Gaynor Wakeling, business support manager at Torfaen Economy and Enterprise said: “I am delighted that Rosa attended the Torfaen Business Pop Up school we organised for local people and that she was able to benefit from the opportunity. ‘Reloved By Rosa’ sounds like a lovely new retail venture and I look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength.”