Budleigh Unwrapped

Budleigh Unwrapped grew from an idea that we had in October 2019. We were living and working in Spain. Operating our sailing school and sailing charter business, but we wanted to return to the UK to be closer to family and friends.

We looked at many different businesses and business opportunities and decided we wanted to do something that would benefit the community and have a positive impact on the environment. 

Knowing that single-use plastic and unnecessary packaging presents a raft of problems for everyone, we decided a Zero Waste shop would be a great idea.

A New Shop for Budleigh

Having decided what we wanted to do, we needed to find a shop and a high street that would accommodate us. Amanda grew up in Devon and was a big fan of Budleigh Salterton and thought it a likely candidate for our new business idea. We visited the town together and decided it was perfect. There was even an empty shop available that was ideal for our needs.

Roger Steps Up

We press-ganged Amanda’s dad, Roger; a retired engineer, into service. Working to Amanda’s specifications, he drew up the plans for the shop layout. Iain and Roger then fabricated the shelving units to precise measurements and later, assembled everything inside the shop.

Amanda Does Extreme Shopping

While we boys were playing with bits of wood, Amanda was taking care of serious business. Buying stock for the shop was not the most straightforward task. Suppliers refused to give us wholesale accounts. They blamed Covid-19 for their inability to service new accounts. Amanda persevered. She spent hours making phone calls, writing emails and researching products. Her goal was to source high-quality goods. Products that our future customers would want. And come back for, time and again. Her tenacity paid off. A natural networker, she forged strong relationships with our new suppliers. Within weeks we were ready for business.

On 11th September 2020, we opened our doors to our first customers.