She sells sea glass on the seashore

Mrs Warnock recounts the amazing successes of iconic Cleethorpes sea glass silversmith, jewellery and crafts shop, Coastal Silver.

In the window of Coastal Silver, watercolour beachscapes and vibrantly painted stones caught my eye. After entering, it took me several laps of the Warnocks's shop to take in the glints exhibited by each piece, carefully displayed in the cabinets of the shop. The family can be seen over the counter: smithing, woodturning, and painting at different times of the day. All while Willow, the miniature Jack Russell terrier, and Luca (with the nickname of Marini) both scamper around behind the counter.

Andrea, hailed as the figurehead and mother of the family business, has been selling bespoke sea glass jewellery from her workshop at the Meridian Point craft centre since 2016; she scours, or ‘mines’ the coasts of the UK shores top to toe, for ‘beach diamonds’. And after grading and sorting them, she transforms them into jewellery. Some for weddings, as a fashion piece or even adorning an outfit. ‘Basically,’ Andrea says, ‘If you can draw it, we can probably make it.’ Even with their woodwork done by Jack, and the unique ashes jewellery range, it’s all done with care, by hand.

‘It's a really nice place to work’ says James Butler, college student and part-time employee of the shop.

She's incredibly lucky to be able to turn a shed-bound hobby into a business in March 2016 after she'd moved to Cleethorpes to marry. Originally, it was expected to act as a workshop, but to the family's surprise things got going and now they have 3 shops open beside each other: one for retail, and the others for the ashes memory range and workshops which are held for birthdays, dos and events of that ilk.

The main cause for the establishment's success goes to the customer service, Andrea reveals to me. ‘I've grown it on looking after people. Looking after people, being pleasant... And that has worked wonders.’ The shop's charm has certainly been recognised, evidenced by features on Country Life and Susan Calman's Summer by The Sea on Channel 5. Its customers reach further than Lincolnshire too, as they get calls from across the country, affirming a nationwide love of the coastline.

It's not your standard high street shop. But it sure is a delightful little place to drop by.

Coastal Silver (01472 602777; coastalsilver.co.uk)