00:00Mollie Laycock, how are you? I'm good thank you. So we're here in Much Wenlock and this is your little shop?
00:09It is yeah, I've had it nearly seven years now. Now it's called Ipikin? Yes. Where's that name come from?
00:14So we've got a lot of like local myths and legends here and Ipikin Rock is one of our local hills,
00:20but there was a story of a highway bandit who used to obviously put all of his jewels and belongings into one of the caves
00:27and now it's a local myth that if you go on the walks you'll find the hidden cave of jewels on Ipikin Rock.
00:32And everyone always comes in here and says it's a cave of colour, so like Aladdin's cave, but it's our local version.
00:38Ipikin's cave. So you started here as a Saturday girl, is that right?
00:43Yes, so I worked for Lesley and Paul as a Saturday girl when I was probably about 14, 15 and ended up coming back and buying it and having my own shop.
00:54That's mad isn't it? You know, if you had a flashback to when you were 14, 15 and said this will be yours one day, you'd have been, what?
01:01It's done, yeah. I can't believe it really, but it's worked out for the best and I have a job that I love.
01:07So how old were you when you took it on for yourself? It was my 23rd birthday the day I bought the shop.
01:12I mean, you know, at 23 I think I was still going out at Wolverhampton, no big ties or commitments, you know, responsibilities.
01:19That's a lot to take on as a young lady.
01:21Yeah, but I've learned so much through it and I've also met wonderful people.
01:25Like a lot of my really good friends I've met through the shop.
01:28It's a bit of a community and a social hub and I think that's what I love about it.
01:32Yeah. Now I was saying, oh, if you had a bit more space, I suppose you could get a few in.
01:36But how young I was, this counter top, like a transformer, a bigger top goes on it.
01:42You have knit and knatter sessions and you've even had up to how many people in here?
01:47I think the most we had was 25 at a knit and knatter group.
01:50That was full, so we do not have as many as that now.
01:53But normally we get about 15 to 16 people come to our knit and knatter groups.
01:57Yeah. So go on, fill us in then.
01:59So you sell everything and anything for the world of knitting?
02:04And crochet.
02:05And crochet. And then just fill us in about some of those extra side things then.
02:08So knit and knatter, that's where people come in with their own projects and stuff?
02:12Yeah, it's more of a social group.
02:13So you can bring whatever project you're working on, whether it's knitting, crochet, some people could bring embroidery, sewing.
02:19But it's just a social really.
02:21And obviously I'm here to help if people do need a bit of a hand with their projects.
02:24We also do a lot of workshops.
02:26So we do evening ones, Sunday and Saturday ones.
02:30And they can range from learning to knit, learning to crochet, to like advanced techniques.
02:34So knitting your own jumper, colour work, like we do this jumper as a three part, knit along, all sorts really.
02:41Yeah. And you've had a one to one session this morning, didn't you?
02:45So you were at the back table there doing a bit of work.
02:48That jumper there, you said that's one you've made, isn't it?
02:51That's one I've recently finished.
02:53It's our most popular course at the moment.
02:56Fantastic.
02:57So how did you get it?
02:59Was it just for a Saturday job and you hadn't had anything to do with knitting when you were younger?
03:04Or was your mum knitting at home?
03:06So my mum is a really, really, really good knitter.
03:10So she taught me to knit really.
03:12And when I was, I'd say like 13, we went on a family holiday with another family.
03:17And I just decided I was going to knit everybody a hat.
03:20Wow.
03:21So I gave myself three weeks and I think I knitted probably about 12 hats.
03:25And everyone, we all had the same hat but different colours.
03:28And then I studied textiles and just sort of my love continued really.
03:33And working here when I was a teenager, I just loved.
03:36And it just really grew from there.
03:39Yeah, it's a lovely place, much went look, isn't it?
03:41You get kind of, you know, just as I was walking down the street, there was one lady,
03:44hello Mrs Jones and all, you know, that kind of.
03:46Everyone knows everyone.
03:47Yeah.
03:48It's a really small tight knit community.
03:49Yeah.
03:50Tight knit.
03:51Exactly.
03:52Q to put.
03:53So you're open when?
03:54When are your opening times?
03:56We're open Monday to Saturday, 10 till 5.
03:59Yeah.
04:00On Wednesdays, it's half day because we tend to have workshops.
04:02So we close at three and then tend to have workshops up into the evening.
04:06Yeah.
04:07And then we have evening courses.
04:08And obviously our Knitter Natter, they tend to be 5 till 7 or 5.30 till 7.30.
04:13So I'm just trying to figure in, so where's your days off then?
04:16My day off is a Sunday.
04:18And then I'll have a random day off in the week where Maddy or Moira will work those days.
04:23Yeah.
04:24Yeah.
04:25So it's quite full on, isn't it?
04:26Yeah.
04:27As far as you have time to knit anything yourself.
04:29Well, I mean, you've got to fit it in.
04:31Yeah.
04:32Yeah.
04:33Well, thank you for inviting us down.
04:34It's a beautiful little shop and good luck in business.
04:37Thank you very much.
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