A mother has achieved a life-long dream of opening her first shop.

Lauren Goodman, 30, owner of Manor House Boutique in Church Hill, Loughton, opened the home interior store after working as a buyer for Tesco for six years.

The mother-of-one, who spent £50,000 on the boutique, said she decided to open the shop after discovering a gap in the market.

She said: “I had renovated two of my own houses and I have always wanted to open my own home interior store.

“When I saw the gap in the market I decided now was the time to open it, it’s already proving really popular!

“I spent six months sorting and travelling around Europe to find furniture for the store and I am really happy with how it turned out.”

Mrs Goodman, mother to three-year-old Mason, sourced a variety of home interior, furnishings, luxury gifts and lighting from Belgium, Denmark and the UK before opening the store on October 10.

The boutique offers “fresh, clean lined, grey and white” furnishings with prices ranging from £3 to £1000.

Mrs Goodman added: “I am big on customer service and I want to ensure that every customer is looked after with attention to detail.

“I have grown up in Loughton and wanted to open my store here to be able to offer products that I know people will love for their Essex homes.

“Opening the store is a dream come true, I am really excited.”