The Leader is putting local high street traders in the spotlight throughout July’s Independent Retailer Month.

Meet today’s business...

Name: Helen Harris

Business: Firefly Shiny Shop

Location: 18 Central Arcade, Wrexham

Telephoine / website: 07850 584251 / fireflywrexham.co.uk

Opening hours: 11am-4pm, Monday to Saturday

When did you open and why?

It started with a friend and I, we’d been made redundant and we decided to open up a little shop.

Initially we were doing flowers and shabby chic things, I had a market stall some years ago and it just exploded from that.

Why did you open in this location?

I like the fact that I’m hidden here in the entrance to The Butcher’s Market because it means we’re selling crystals, and I didn’t believe but I’m converted, that crystals call people, this shop finds the people it needs and the people who need the shop find it.

The Leader:

Tell us about your business...

Mostly it’s crystals, there’s a lot of wiccan and pagan stuff as well, there’s dream catchers, incense, a myriad of things really.

I also sell different things that local artists and crafts people make, like memory jars, paintings, rings, there’s an array of different things.

If I can help local people then I will because there was a time when I made crystal trees and things like that and I didn’t know how to sell them, so if I can help people sell things that they make then I’ll be happy to.

What’s your most memorable/proudest moment in business?

First one that comes to mind, a little old lady came in and she had broken the zip on her bag, and she was really struggling, so I took one of those keyrings and I attached one of them to the end of it so she could use it, and she cried with happiness.

We see it daily though, people come in, they’re lost, they’re sad, they’re depressed, and they go out with a smile.

The Leader:

Have you had any strange requests?

All the time, how do you pick one? We work with the public and as I said before this shop calls people, we’ve had people come in on more than one occasion saying we’ll think they’re mad and I say try me.

People say they’ve seen ghosts, spirits, things move that shouldn’t be moving and I just talk them through it and tell them they’re not mad. These things are happening, if you believe it’s real then it’s real, and we can help you.