Wirral mum took 'a leap of faith' to open first business

Tammy Docherty opened Tammy's Keepsakes on Poulton Road in Wallasey in September after becoming bored with her job at Burger King.

A festive-themed event will take place at its premises on Saturday, November 30 from 11am-3pm.

Looking ahead to day, Tammy told the Globe: "There will be face-painters coming, Father Christmas and elves visiting and we are going to be offering mince pies and hot drinks.

"It will be a chance for people to come in and see what the we've got and have a bit of Christmas fun. It's also a chance to get my name out there as well."

The business sells what Tammy described as 'personalised stuff'; such as photo slates, cushions and mugs and Tammy works closely with artists to offer limited edition designs on items.

Some of the limited edition designs on sale at Tammy's Keepsakes (Image: Tammy Docherty)

It also just has a new range of lap trays in and Santa sacks, stocking sets - all with limited edition designs. Tammy says only 40 people in the UK are said to got access to those designs.

Tammy makes many of the items that are for sale.

Tammy Docherty opened Tammy's Keepsakes on Poulton Road in Wallasey in September after becoming bored with her job at Burger King (Image: Craig Manning / Newsquest) She added "We offer exclusive limited edition design items as well as normal but we also do personalised stuff like photo slates, photo calendars and things like that, so a wide range of different things from simple small things like keyrings and cushions".

Tammy Docherty opened Tammy's Keepsakes on Poulton Road in Wallasey in September (Image: Craig Manning / Newsquest) Explaining how the idea to open her first business came about, the mum-of-three said: "I was working in Burger King and have got two children with additional needs and they need a lot of my time.

"So, I needed to find something to work alongside them so I was available for them when they needed me. Going self-employed meant I would have more time with the family as when, for hospital appointments, etc. 

"I wanted to do something for the kids to show them that they can chase their dreams and no matter what they are don't be afraid to try.

"I said 'I'd rather do it and fail than not do it at all and regret it'. So I thought 'I'm just going to bite the bullet and give it a try'. It was a leap of faith, really.

"I had been a crew member at Burger King for six years and literally woke up one day in May and said 'I want a shop' and went for it. I just needed a change of direction in life. I'm a determined person, so if I'm going to do something I'll do it. 

"I've also got that work/life balance now, which I didn't have before."

Tammy Docherty opened Tammy's Keepsakes on Poulton Road in Wallasey in September (Image: Craig Manning / Newsquest) Tammy found the perfect premises in July and had the keys at the end of the month. Her dream of owning a shop was quickly becoming reality, but there was lots of work to do before the doors finally opened in September.

She continued: "I've had hardly any money behind me. Me and my other half Sean have done all this ourselves; he works but has come and helped me when he can and has laid all of the flooring for me. We've painted, done the flooring and bought everything ourselves."

On future plans, Tammy said: "I want to try and be successful. I can't plan out the next five years, because I don't know how the next five years are going to be, but in my head I want to be a thriving business.

"I want to offer something for the community and am hoping, eventually, to do tea and coffee afternoons in the future, McMillan cake days, etc, which would encourage people to come through the shop and see what's on sale."

She also has these words of inspiration for people who are thinking of changjng direction in life: "Life's too short; you never know what's going to happen tomorrow. Take that risk, because you'll only regret not taking it.

"It's better to take the leap and fail, than not try at all and regret it for the rest of your life."

For details, go to: https://tammyskeepsakes.com/ or see the shop's Facebook page