AN empty shop at the heart of York city centre is all set to get a new lease of life.

A trio of siblings are behind the venture to turn the currently vacant space at 13, Colliergate, in to Avorium, a shop selling desk accessories and stationery.

Tom Calvert, 25, along with his younger sisters, Georgia, 24, and Olivia, 22, hope to have their shop open to the public in early November and he said they can’t wait to get going.

“We have ten products, each available in eight colour version, with the idea being that people will be able to curate their workspace, whether that is working from home or from the office,” said Tom.

“We were originally going to be just an e-commerce site, but we did some research and decided having a shop too would be a good idea in York.”

All three went to St Peter’s School in the city and live here.

Tom said that previously, he was living in London and he and Georgia worked for a wholesaler, but when the pandemic struck and high street shops shut it hit the business hard forcing him to re-think his options.

“We wanted to go out on our own and become more customer-focused and that’s when we started Avorium,” Tom said.

"It's incredibly exciting, I've always wanted to run my own business."

The products can be personalised with everything from leather notebooks, diaries and folios to plantpots, phone stands and coasters.

Customers will be able to meet all Tom, Georgia and Olivia as they will be serving in the shop and Tom said he hopes they will be able to take on more staff in 2022. They plan to open seven days a week, 10am-6pm.

Follow the business on Instagram @avorium_london