Faye laughed. 'Everybody says that. I work here some of the time now since Covid, but I still go up and down to London quite a bit.’
'Birdie said you were just fitting me or I should sayherin as a favour, and you don’t normally do dresses,' Nina mentioned.
Faye nodded. 'No, I don’t, but if I didn’t do this for Birdie, I’d be chased out of Lovely.'
Nina chuckled. 'You certainly would.’
Faye laughed. ‘You work for her, do you? How long have you been with her?’
Nina shook her head. 'I don’t really now, I just fill in. It must be really about a year or so. I just started off there helping her out, then I worked there for a while doing a few shifts a week, and then when I actually moved here permanently, my business took off.'
'Oh, what do you do now, then?' Faye inquired with interest.
Nina smiled. 'I have a little organising and decluttering business,' she gestured around Faye's room. 'Not that someone like you would need that, by the looks of this.'
Faye nodded. 'How does that all work then?'
Nina smiled. 'Well, it’s quite simple really. I just go in and clear people's clutter. You’d be amazed at what a demand there is for it.’
‘And do you clean as well?' Faye asked.
'Yes and no, depending on what it is, but if it needs it, then I will. I have someone working for me part-time now as well,' Nina said.
Faye smiled. 'Wow. So how did you get that off the ground then?'
Nina nodded. 'To be quite honest, it just took off by itself. I started off at The Summer Hotel, you know, over there on the other side. I was working for Jill, the niece of the owner, and it all went from there. You’d be surprised how many people have clutter that they have lived with for years and just can’t face sorting out. That’s where I step in. I love it.'
Faye nodded and her face changed. 'Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised, because my mum was a bit of a hoarder, and not in a good way. I know something about that world.'
‘Right, I see. Yes, I’ve learnt a lot about this since I’ve started my own business. There are a lot of people in a bad way because of hoarding. It’s wrapped up with mental health you wouldn’t believe it.’
Faye nodded. ‘I would, actually, I think that’s my mum’s problem. I grew up in a really disorganised house.’ She gestured around at her workroom, ‘Which is why I think I’ve gone the other way. I’m a bit over the top about it sometimes, I’m not sure if that’s a good way to be either.’
Nina nodded. 'Well, it’s better than being surrounded by complete chaos, I suppose.'
Faye also nodded. 'Yes, I think you’re probably right. So, what sort of jobs do you do?'
Nina gestured with her hands. 'Well, for instance, you know the chocolate shop in the High Street there?'
'Yes, I do. I love it in there, especially the chilli chocolate.'
'Yes, me too,' Nina laughed. 'Well, I’m in there in the back room, which hasn’t been touched for years, and I’m sorting that out.'
Faye chuckled. 'Not a bad job, especially if you get paid overtime in chocolate.'
'So, yeah, that’s the sort of thing I get, or I might get just a job to, for example, go and completely organise someone’s wardrobe, or the kitchen cupboards, or declutter and sort out a dining room unit.'
Faye smiled. 'Wow. You must find all sorts in your job.'
'Yeah, I certainly do, and I love it.'
Faye smiled. 'Right, well, let’s get on with my job and why you’re here. Let's have a look at the bodice.’
Nina nodded, opened the bag, and started to carefully take the bodice of her dress out.
Faye smiled. 'So, what’s the story with this then?'
'Well, I actually got married for the first time in this dress. It holds a lot of memories for me.'
