THE OWNER of a plastic-free shop has unveiled plans to open a second after a successful response.

Claire Plowes from Simonstone opened her first Turtle Bee shop in Great Harwood at the end of August.

It won a lot of praise from shoppers, and the mum is now in the process of opening a second store in Padiham before Christmas.

Since the first opening, Mrs Plowes has added to her plastic-free product range, which already saw customers refilling on cereals, nuts, beans, as well as household items such as bamboo toothbrushes toilet rolls, and natural soaps.

Now, customers can find vegan sweets and chocolate, including chocolate covered raisins and nuts.

Mrs Plowes said: “It has been amazing, and I am so thrilled people are so passionate and thank me for opening the shop.

"It is closer than going to Manchester and sometimes people come in, take a look around, then next time they bring re-useable bags.

"It is quite soon to be opening a second shop, but I have already had messages on social media asking when I am opening.”

The mum of two is also working with local independent businesses to support them and stock their plastic-free products.

Some of the new products include reusable kitchen rolls, cotton pads, beeswax wrap and even homemade soap.

Mrs Plowes said: “A community link officer has also contacted me from Morrisons wanting to work together, so it’s nice to see big companies are also reaching out.

“It is a hot topic now; all the media and world talk about plastic-free shops and I love that I can bring this locally.

“I have customers from Burnley anyway, and people do not always want to travel far.”

The shop will be situated on Padiham high street opposite the town hall.

It will be open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and will be hiring a new staff member.

Mrs Plowes also added that shopping at Turtle Bee can sometimes work out cheaper than supermarkets due to buying only what people need.

She said: "I think this can be cheaper actually because you buy what you need and not loads of something you might not use again.”

Visit www.turtlebee.co.uk or visit the Facebook page.