Simply Devine hats -"We're the last hat shop standing"

Liz, who owns Simply Devine, York Road, Tadcaster, has reopened her shop and launched a new hat hire service after hibernating the businesses for a year because of the pandemic.

She plans to start selling hats via Amazon - hoping to make up for lost sales because of the Covid crisis. The company designs, manufactures and supplies hats to trade as well as for the Tadcaster shop.

Award winning milliner Liz Devine-Wright with some of her hats

Liz said: "We have lost a year, but we are not going to worry. We are going to come back stronger."

She says lots of hat shops have closed during the pandemic: "I think we will be the last hat shop standing!"

Liz, who has run her hat business for 17 years, is our trader of the week. If you would like to nominate someone to be our next trader of the week, click here to fill out our online form.

Simply Devine hats in Tadcaster

We asked Liz to tell us more about her business...

What do you sell?

We sell hats and fascinators for every occasion. We specialise in wedding, race-day hats for all over the world, not to mention the Queen's garden parties at Buckingham Palace.

How do you stand out from others?

You can even have your wedding hat dyed to match your outfit, but this is a specialist service and plenty of notice is required. Many ladies have never worn headwear before so we will make you comfortable, will let you try lots of shapes and sizes until you know where you want to sit in the hat stakes. Do you want to stand out from the crowd or does your personality want you to blend in with others? Simply Devine has every shape and colour in stock you can think of! Also, you can park for free right outside the shop!

How have you adapted during the Covid-19 crisis?

You can buy hats, hatinators and fascinators online. We offer an electronic service and a mail service. Just send us a bobbin of cotton or a slub of embroidery silk and we can match in store or make you a bespoke piece of headwear. We are just launching a new hat hire service too.

Simply Devine delivers hats all over the UK

Have you won any awards. If so what and when?

Yes - York Press Business Awards; Forward Ladies Business Awards, and The English Wedding Awards a number of times. We were Small Biz Saturday One in A Hundred Businesses and are now an alumni.

What is your favourite story about this business/trader?

We sent a hat to Christina Aguilera - all the way to California! She ordered six more, but the email was deleted in error - it was just one of those things.

Find out more at: simplydevine.co.uk

If you know a trader who is doing something special or goes the extra mile for customers please nominate them to be our next trader of the week. Traders can also nominate themselves if they are doing something new, different, or unusual and have a story to tell. Click here to fill out our online form or visit yorkpress.co.uk/trader