A Brand New look for Pre-loved and Vintage Store Curio

A pre-loved clothes and curiosities shop has just re-launched in Swindon Town Centre.

Named “Curio” the shop, which is in the Brunel Shopping Arcade, is run by mother and daughter Dawn and Ember Welson.  Curio sells second-hand clothes and bags plus an array of interesting and individual items, such as pre-loved and vintage jewelry, trinkets, glassware, and collectibles.

Dawn and Ember used to run a charity shop together but decided that they wanted to have a go at running their own business. Dawn said: “Shoppers may remember us as Urban Thrift because that’s how we started out. The clothes and handbags have been really popular so we decided that we wanted to create more than just a second-hand shop. Ember has a real eye for finding really interesting vintage curiosities so we’ve decided to launch Curio and now stock lots even more really interesting bits and pieces. It’s quite an eclectic mix!”

The shop has a 1920s art deco look designed by Ember, 25. Ember said: “I’m really pleased how the décor has turned out; customers have been very encouraging and saying how nice the store is. I’m now planning to absolutely fill it with treasure – I want to create a shop that people keep coming back to, to see what interesting item they can find. It’s nice seeing customers spot things that they remember from the past. I love older and pre-owned items; they can have so much character and are often really well-made and tell a story from the past.

“I’ve got lots of ideas of how I want to develop Curio and already have loads of stock ready to display when the new cabinets come. I’m upcycling as well so some of the items are one-offs and I’m keen to start stocking taxidermy soon too.”