George is a home-made cupboard. It's named after Jacky Featherstone's 14-year-old son.

Jacky has a smaller assembled cupboard dubbed Charlie, named after - you've guessed it - her younger son, aged ten.

Both cupboards live at Serendipity in Gillygate "and they're clones, like Dolly the sheep", said Jacky.

"We just copy an old and wonderful Armoire-style cupboard I once had over and over again and it sells like hot cakes."

By "we" she means herself and her aunt, Barbara Stephenson, who combined their talents to start this little shop which says exactly what it is on the tin.

Serendipity means making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident and that's what happens when you stroll into that Aladdin's cave of gasp-worthy things.

Now Barbara and Jacky hope to turn that delight into triumph by entering both the Retailer of the Year and New Business of the Year categories in the 2004 Evening Press Business Awards.

Combining their talents - Jacky has a City & Guilds certificate in interior design and Barbara has a City & Guilds in soft furnishing - the original concept was simple.

They began by selling good quality second-hand cushions, curtains and a few bits of second-hand furniture from their own garage.

Then as word got around, they sold other people's second-hand items for a small commission, as long as they fitted in with the look of the shop.

The response was so amazing that customers started to request items, so Jacky would scan car boot sales and usually come up with what they wanted.

Next to discover them were the local guest houses. No sooner would the latest second-hand stock arrive when the guest house owners would snap them up.

The final phase was the introduction of new "Aunty Barbara" product ranges, which the two designed themselves, such as peg bags, notice boards, doorstops and cushions.

They made Roman blinds and curtains, then re-sold the customers' old ones in the shop.

Now they have trade accounts with top designers such as Cath Kidston, the Designers Guild, flower specialists Sia, and Parlane furniture.

They also sell a huge range of handmade cards and quilts.

Updated: 09:46 Thursday, September 02, 2004