Entrepreneurs Jayne Hayter and Derry Boorman will open new shops in Liverpool paying just £1 a month each in rent under a city council scheme. Tony McDonough reports

 

Two retail entrepreneurs have moved into their new shops in south Liverpool, paying just £1 a month in rent.

Jayne Hayter and Derry Boorman are taking advantage of a city council scheme that has seen six derelict shop units in Smithdown Road refurbished and offered to small business owners.

Launched by the council in summer 2022, the shop units were made available for £1 month for the first three years. In years four and five there is a reduced rent of £400 per calendar month. After that the units will be charged at full market rate.

Jayne Hayter, who previously worked on Smithdown Road for 10 years in the Old Bank, is returning to open her shop ‘In Loving Memory Of’. It specialises in providing services for bereaved families and will open at the end of August.

Just two doors away Derry Boorman, who graduated with a photography degree at Liverpool Hope University 10 years ago this summer, is set to open her first studio in the autumn.

Both received their keys this week and will join three other £1 shops – a beauty salon, fashion store and an Italian cafe. Certain types of businesses were disqualified from the scheme.

They included betting shops or gambling establishments, a general fast food takeaway, a tanning salon, off-licence, pub, or a payday lender. However, community cafés and healthy takeaways were considered.

Derry said she was alerted to the £1 shop scheme when her father sent her a link on a WhatsApp message. Jayne said she wasn’t aware of the opportunity until her son Michael did the same.

So far Derry, has specialised in event photography and is looking to widen her portfolio into commercial shoots. She said: “When I first began there were so many different avenues I could take and it was a little overwhelming to know where to start.

“I always assumed I’d get into concerts and tours, and it wasn’t until I was asked to shoot a wedding that the business took off in an entirely new and unexpected direction.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to eventually own a studio space – but I never in a million years thought it would happen like this. Being handed the keys felt like a dream.

“I kept the news close to my chest for months, only telling close family and friends until I had the keys in my hand, as it all felt so surreal. It’s been great to finally tell everyone the big news, and I’ve had a lot of love and support so far.

“I’ll have a substantial focus on commercial/product photography and content creation to help get small businesses off the ground, as well as wedding portraiture, headshots, individual and family shoots, and social media focused shoots.

“I’d love to host workshops for all ages to bring out the creative side of our community. Liverpool has always been extremely proud of their creatives.”

Jayne said her shop will provide bespoke service to the bereaved, including grave maintenance and care, memorial accessories, floral tributes and sympathy cards.

She added: “The idea first came to me through my own family experiences. Moving through bereavement can be truly painful but I found spending time at the cemetery caring for the family memorial helped me find some comfort and peace.

“As a family we still wanted to find ways to express our love, to recognise birthdays and anniversaries and love is best expressed in giving. I came to realise that these little acts of love helped with the feelings of sadness.

 

 

“But there didn’t seem to be a place that catered for people’s needs under one roof and I thought that might have potential to be a business.

“The process was tough, creating the business plan and moving through the interview but the people at the Council were real professionals, very kind and supportive.”

The £1 shop scheme is a variation on the city’s council’s Homes for a Pound programme. Like the homeowners, the successful applicants have to carry out repairs and refurbishment themselves and must have finance in place. 

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Cllr Nick Small, Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said: “The £1 shop scheme has been about giving people with great ideas and a solid business plan the chance to get their venture off the ground.

“We didn’t want to disadvantage existing local businesses so the ideas couldn’t duplicate what’s already on offer and we didn’t want more shops selling services linked to fast food, gambling, pay day loans, alcohol or tanning.”