A refreshing new store which offers unique clothing, quality coffee and vintage vinyl has opened in Coventry.
Windsors and Refreshed has opened in Far Gosford Street, with the aim of providing employment, skills and educational opportunities for young and unemployed people and all proceeds being reinvested into the project.
The venture has been established by homeless charity Coventry Cyrenians and is named after the late Coventry City councillor Rob Windsor who was a former Cyrenians employee and devout socialist.
The shop was officially unveiled by Neville Staple of Coventry band The Specials.
Windsors and Refreshed offers fair trade coffee, vinyl records and fashion clothing and accessories retailing vintage, retro and unique clothes produced from recycling counterfeit clothing.
Coventry Cyrenians has developed a partnership with Coventry University and Coventry City Council’s trading standards team which sees the University’s fashion department remaking seized counterfeit clothing into fashionable and bespoke items that will be showcased and sold within the shop.
In recent years, the charity has seen an increase in the amount of young people aged between 16 and 24-years-old, accessing their services. Coventry Cyrenians has made a positive step in a social enterprise scheme that will benefit the young people involved and the surrounding community.
Mike Fowler, chief executive of the Coventry Cyrenians, said: “All the money earned by selling the rebranded clothes and coffee will be ploughed straight back into the project.
“To date, Cyrenians has supported 15 young, unemployed and homeless people to access the project, getting involved in market research, promotion, project management and customer service.
“In the first year we plan to take at least 40 young unemployed people through the project, providing them access to employability skills, retail and customer service experience and access to qualifications through a partnership with Henley College.”
The opening of Windsors and Refreshed is the latest step in the regeneration of Far Gosford Street. The overall initiative to regenerate one of the city’s oldest streets involves over £25m of combined investment from the private sector, Coventry City Council, Heritage Lottery and European Regional Development Fund.
Cllr Lynnette Kelly, Coventry City Council cabinet member for city development, said: “This is a fantastic project and exactly the kind of alternative and extraordinary outlet we were hoping to attract to Far Gosford Street when we began the regeneration of the area.
“We are sure Windsors and Refreshed will prove extremely popular with people from all over the city and it is a project that everyone involved in, and the people of Coventry, should feel extremely proud of.”
The charity is seeking clothes donations to add to the rails and vinyl records to expand the store’s collection. Visit www.coventrycyrenians.co.uk for more information.