Horwich Fire Press celebrate one year of shop opening

But despite the lack of trade in the shop, owner, Naomi Davies, 28, is feeling confident and hopeful for the future.

Naomi, from Keighley, moved to Salford to study Graphic Design before then later moving to Horwich and opening her shop Fire Press on Lee Lane on August 13, 2022.

Prior to the store opening, the business was trading online for six years, and Naomi decided she wanted to open an accessible location for all.

And now one year in, Naomi said it has been good, but the lack of footfall has been a struggle, experiencing days without custom just like other businesses in the area.

• ALSO READ: Horwich town centre business urge residents to shop local

The inside of the store (Image: Naomi Davies)

Speaking about the milestone, Naomi said: “We’ve been trading online for seven years already, so opening the shop a year ago was a massive new venture for us and has been a big challenge, but we wanted to have an accessible location for people to come in and have professional design work and high-quality printing available at their own convenience.

“The first year has been really good for us with design clients, but footfall in the shop has been awful, some days we don't see anyone come in which is not great.

"And I know that's the case for a lot of other shops in Horwich, which is why we've been massive advocates for the Hello Horwich loyalty scheme.

“Luckily, we don't rely solely on footfall as we have online revenue and have joined networking groups to bring more work in, but honestly, if we were relying on footfall alone, we'd probably be gone next year.

“But so far, I'm feeling confident and hopeful for the future.

“We are currently looking to hire in a part-time designer to help with the work load, so hopefully we continue building a good name and reputation for ourselves locally and beyond that too.

“We offer all aspects of graphic design and printing to both consumers and businesses looking to leave a lasting impression.

• ALSO READ: Horwich town centre traders launch loyalty scheme

Prints up in the store (Image: Naomi Davies)

“Whether it’s a new feature piece for your wall, a thoughtful gift for a friend, wedding stationery for your big day, a new business needing a logo, or an existing business looking for advertising material, we can help everyone!”

Fire Press services include posters, greeting cards, stationery designed in-house, bespoke poster designs, frames, photo editing, wedding stationery, design-led curated gifts, business cards, gift vouchers, price lists, brochures, pens, mugs, keyrings and more.

To celebrate being open one-year, Fire Press will be hosting an event with cakes, fizz and a giveaway to enter for anyone who visits the store.

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @chloewjourno.