Former home of the Gainsborough Standard welcomes new business

The Fabric Place becomes the newest edition to 5-7 Market Place, Gainsborough

The former Gainsborough Standard office has been taken over by The Fabric Place as the empty unit welcomes a new business.

The building was given a makeover earlier this year as part of West Lindsey District Council’s Townscape Heritage Scheme.

The store officially opened on Saturday, July 1, and owner Moji Sanni, 57, knew this was the place for her when she first laid her eyes on it.

She said: “This was the only property that I was attracted to, the other properties were not what I was looking for.

"I knew this place was for me and that I was destined to be here.

"I wanted this place to be traditional.

“I’ve just moved across the river, and I was so happy when I saw this advertisement.

"This is the kind of property I wanted to be in.

"Everyone has been saying this is what they needed and it’s been really busy.”

Moji has been in the haberdashery industry for 25 years and has had stores in Market Harborough, Kettering, Corby, Stamford and Oakham; so, she is trying to condense her five stores into one.

Her aim for the store is for it to be a one stop shop for picking up patterns, fabric, thread, buttons or zips as needed.

She said: “I will eventually be offering lessons such as sewing classes, making fascinators, bags, dresses and much more.

"We are still in the early stages, but we are concentrated on getting it all up and then we will be good to go.

"I may be new to Gainsborough but I’m not new to fabric.”

Coun Jeanette McGhee expressed her congratulations to the new owner and how important it is to the regeneration of the Market Place.

She said: “It’s incredibly exciting to see all the hard work that’s gone into making 5-7 Market Place beautiful.

"It’s important that we are restoring the heritage of our town centre that we know our community is incredibly proud of.

"The shop looks amazing, and we are hoping it attracts more people to the Market Place.

“I am also excited to see that the shop will be offering classes as well, as these types of group activities are so important for creating a happy social space for people to enjoy a shared purpose and acquire new skills.”