5-7 Market Place in Gainsborough has acquired a new owner after much needed regeneration thanks to West Lindsey District Council’s Townscape Heritage Scheme.
The Townscape Heritage grants are financed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Levelling Up Fund.
The store officially opened Saturday 1 July 2023 and owner Moji Sanni, aged 57, knew this was the place for her when she first laid her eyes on it. She said:
“This was the only property that I was attracted to, the other properties were not what I was looking for. I knew this place was for me and that I was destined to be here. I wanted this place to be traditional.
“I’ve just moved across the river, and I was so happy when I saw this advertisement. This is the kind of property I wanted to be in. Everyone has been saying this is what they needed and it’s been really busy.”
Moji has been in the haberdashery industry for 25 years and has had stores in Market Harborough, Kettering, Corby, Stamford and Oakham; so, she is trying to condense her five stores into one.
Her aim for the store is for it to be a one stop shop for picking up patterns, fabric, thread, buttons or zips as needed. She added:
“I will eventually be offering lessons such as sewing classes, making fascinators, bags, dresses and much more. We are still in the early stages, but we are concentrated on getting it all up and then we will be good to go. I may be new to Gainsborough but I’m not new to fabric.”
Councillor Jeanette McGhee expressed her congratulations to the new owner and how important it is to the regeneration of the Market Place. She said:
“It’s incredibly exciting to see all the hard work that’s gone into making 5-7 Market Place beautiful. It’s important that we are restoring the heritage of our town centre that we know our community is incredibly proud of. The shop looks amazing, and we are hoping it attracts more people to the Market Place.
“I am also excited to see that the shop will be offering classes as well, as these types of group activities are so important for creating a happy social space for people to enjoy a shared purpose and acquire new skills. We would like to wish Moji the best of luck on her venture with The Fabric Place.”
Jonathan Lee, Townscape Heritage Officer at West Lindsey District Council, is delighted at the takeover of The Fabric Place. He said:
“The Townscape Heritage grants have enabled reinstatement of architectural features such as the traditional wooden shopfront and hand-painted sign, plus repair of brickwork, replacement of damaging cement mortar with lime mortar pointing, replacement of cement damaged stonework, as well as overhauling original wooden sash windows.
“The heritage led regeneration works demonstrate that use of high quality traditional materials results in a far more distinctive and classy look than shopfronts that have used cheap, modern materials such as plastic and metal. We wish Moji every success.”