SUSAN Stockdale stumbled into business almost accidentally when a neighbour gave her some unwanted babyclothes to sell at a car boot sale. She washed and pressed them, put them in plastic bags, and they sold in minutes.

She said: "All the rubbish I had brought along was left, but the clothes went in no time. I realised I might be on to something and went out to find more. I started with half a table at the sale and ended up with eight."

Despite a setback, when the stock was ruined during a storm, she built up a strong customer base and decided to open her own shop in Darlington, with daughter Rebecca.

"Neither of us had any business experience. Rebecca had just left school and I worked part time at Orange. I still do. I was used to getting my wages at the end of the month so this was quite a big step, but it is going very well."

There were relatively few set-up costs but the pair received a lot of practical support from Darlington Federation of Small Businesses. The business is growing steadily thanks to leaflet drops and advertising, and will soon be launching a website.