Hi My name is Amanda Priest . I am 39 years old and started The Gallery 16 years ago as a young girl of 22 never expecting but always secretly hoping that it would become the established well respected business that it is today. As a young girl I always wanted to have my own business and always loved clothes. I come from a family who are mainly self employed so it always seemed something very natural to do.
Over the last 16 years of my career I have worked with some of the leading designers and agencies in London. As all of our stock is ordered 6 months in advance, buying has been a major part of my job. Twice a year fantastic trips to London to work with the likes of Betty Jackson, Joseph (where my little girl has sat and ate sushi with the man himself), Versace, Iceberg and many others over the years. To know we were at the forefront of the early days of Avoca when only a few boutiques in the UK stocked it, up to today where it is a massively successful company is very satisfying. Sandwich which is now probably the leading brand in its area and Nougat which is just lovely and so girly. These three are probably our main staple companies. Sometimes I am reminded how long I have been in this business; we have just taken on Pennyblack for the second time. We stocked it years ago and it lost its way but now is back to full force. I wonder whether our new French label with very few stockists in this country will turn into another Avoca success story. I love the thrill and excitement of London Fashion Week and so many other shows and seminars we have been to. These are all the things that make this part of the business so exciting and at times a little scary.

Of course the other part of the business and the part that brings the most pleasure is the interaction with our customers. To make somebodys day when they leave loving their purchases sometimes feels more like we offer therapy than just being a clothes boutique. I still love to be on the shop floor. My motto has always been ‘we go that extra mile’. When I wrote on the about us page that personal shopping is something that happens every day in our store it really is. It makes me smile when shops promote personal shopping, how else do you serve your customers? I am sure that we have many customers to back me up with this!!! This philosophy I want to continue onto our online department hence the reason that Katie and I have wrote about ourselves so that you our valued customer feel you know a little about us to put to our names. If you would like to arrange a visit to our store just call in or arrange an appointment. We can advise through email or telephone. I hope you enjoy The Gallery experience and fulfil your ‘passion for fashion’

Amanda