A Bolton businesswoman is making her dreams a reality, thanks to her booming baby fashion brand.

Adele Ince, 38, a lift saleswoman from Westhoughton, has just signed a five-year lease on a warehouse in the area after her online business Perfect Little Thing mushroomed during lockdown.

Adele toyed with the idea of setting up a toddler and baby boutique for more than 10 years before taking the plunge in October 2018, when her two daughters Maicey and Leonie expressed an interest in learning about business first-hand.

She launched Perfect Little Thing, which sells a range of baby outfits and accessories from different designers, from her kitchen table.

“It was like a hobby,” said Adele of the company’s humble beginnings. “We bought a rail of clothes and my partner set me up with a website.

“For me, the real driver was my children and providing them a real-life lesson whilst in this real-world environment.”

When the first orders arrived, the family would high five each other in excitement, but demand steadily increased and they were kept busy taking 20-30 orders per day from across the UK.

The real turning point, however, came during lockdown.

With shops closed due to the pandemic, online orders surged at Perfect Little Thing and the company’s turnover jumped to £42,000 in March alone.

In April Adele started selling her own designs, coming up with a cute Peter Rabbit and Flopsy-themed range of accessories.

The line was an instant hit, and sales increased even further.

“It went from nought to 100 in about five weeks,” says Adele.

She moved the business from the kitchen table to a separate premises, but the orders kept growing, so the firm’s four employees will soon be operating from a warehouse in Westhoughton.

Adele, who still works full time at Sheridan Lifts, has big plans for the company, involving new fashion and accessory ranges and a physical showroom space.

She said: “To think I was jumping around my house when I got my first order for just £10 on the website only two years ago, look at me now -- I’ve just signed a five-year lease on my first warehouse!”

See perfectlittlething.net