A new shop selling beautiful furniture, home accessories, gifts and natural skincare products has opened in Ottery St Mary.
Meraki, at 30 Mill Street, is owned by Claire Hombergen, who previously ran two beauty salons in West Hill. She opened the shop on Friday, May 3.
The name of the shop – pronounced May-ray-kee – is Greek, and means ‘to put something of yourself into your work – soul, creativity, love’.
Claire said: “I was looking for a one word name for the shop and I'd remembered a previous client/friend had said to me, ‘you remind me of the word Meraki’, so with my love for Greece and the Greek food and meaning behind it, I thought it was just perfect for my business name.
“The shop took some time to open as the building needed a complete renovation. It will hopefully get an updated shopfront in the future, but for now I'm pleased with the vintage look and feel it goes with my inside decor.
“I offer beautiful upcycled vintage one-off pieces of furniture, home interiors, gifts and natural skincare, candles and even chocolate. With my background in beauty I will be offering ladies' skincare parties in the evenings on request.”
Claire is originally from Exeter. She lived in Ottery for a while, then moved to the Netherlands for eight years, returning to Ottery in 2021.
She said: “I love the fact Ottery is now a thriving little town with a great community and lots of new businesses, and I’m happy to offer this lovely little gem.”
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