Our Story

Driven by her dream to open her own boutique, Liz and her husband Rupert found themselves in the charming village of Lindfield, at the recommendation of friends. It was here that they discovered a delightful shop front, home to a children’s clothing store looking to vacate the premises. Liz and Rupert secured a new lease, marking the beginning of Doodie Stark’s journey.

After taking over the building, Liz and Rupert were met with a shabby space that required vision and a significant amount of work in order to transform it into a luxury shopping destination. They began by removing walls to open up the shop, giving it a fresh and inviting feel. The shop underwent a complete makeover, including painting the exterior a sleek dark grey to give it a luxurious grown up feel. 

On opening day, the village was filled with excitement. Without any formal marketing, word of mouth quickly spread about Doodie Stark’s arrival, and women from Lindfield and surrounding areas were drawn into the store. Initially, Liz and Rupert utilised both the upstairs and downstairs spaces, creating a vibrant space to discover.

Doodie Stark’s launch party was a fantastic event, buzzing with activity and great fun. The news of the boutique’s charm had gotten out, and the business was off to a tremendous start. Many of our customers from the event have remained loyal, still shopping with us to this day.

Not long after opening, Liz and Rupert sought planning permission to convert the outside courtyard into an extension of the store as the problematic plastic roof was prone to dripping, making it unsuitable for storing stock. They transformed the courtyard into a new section of the stylish showroom, relaying the floors and installing an elegant glass lantern roof, allowing them to reimagine the upstairs space into a working stockroom. This made a bold statement: Doodie Stark was here to stay.

Doodie Stark was thriving in the village so there was no better time than now to host a fashion show presenting the collections. It was a fantastic evening, raising over £4,000 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Brainstrust and selling out all 160 tickets. Guests enjoyed prosecco and a delicious high tea throughout the evening, watching models from Gielgud Academy of Performing Arts showcase the clothing whilst choreographed to music.

With room for expanding further afield, Liz and Rupert began thinking about possible new locations. They had previously visited Horsham, but felt the town was quiet and not yet suitable. However, in 2017, they sensed a new energy in the town, it was waking up and buzzing with activity. They discovered a tucked-away yet central spot in the exclusive and picturesque Market Square, where an old estate agent had already moved out. After viewing the property, they made the decision to open a new Doodie Stark store in Horsham.

The Horsham store was a significant project for Liz and Rupert, but equally as exciting. A trip to Copenhagen gave them the inspiration for interiors they needed. With a vision for a fresh feel, they undertook the exciting task of completely transforming the premises. Knocking down numerous walls and fitting out the new store, the project took three months to bring their vision to reality.

After months of renovating the Horsham store, Doodie Stark’s new destination shop was ready to open. The fit out was fantastic, it perfectly fitted the buzzing market square and word soon spread throughout the town about Horsham’s new boutique.

For a few years, Liz and Rupert considered moving out of their location at 99 in Lindfield. They loved the village and the boutique was an integral part of the High Street, so they were committed to relocating close by. When the old bakery shop came on the market, they initially didn’t think it would work for them, the High Street premises were small and unsuitable. But after a closer look, they discovered the listing included the bakehouse itself, a run down but promising space. They knew that with some TLC, this could become the perfect new home for Doodie Stark.

After taking ownership of the property in May 2022, the project of creating a bespoke store for Doodie Stark began. The front property was grade II* listed, so renovations to the Old Bakehouse behind required careful consideration before planning permission was given in September. The plot was divided into two and the front building was immediately put back on the market. Fortunately a buyer was secured by the end of the year.  Demolition dominated the initial stages of The Old Bakehouse project, but gave Liz and Rupert a fresh space to create something really special.

When the lease expired at 99, Liz and Rupert found themselves in a transitional phase, leading them to set up a pop-up in Orchard Shopping Centre in Haywards Heath. They squeezed everything they could from the old store to the temporary premises, where they traded for 12 weeks. The atmosphere was different to Lindfield, but they used this time to increase their outreach and build excitement for the impending opening of their flagship store.

After months of hard work and intense preparation, the store was ready, and in June 2023, the highly anticipated launch of the Lindfield store had arrived. Since opening its doors, the Lindfield store has quickly become a popular destination for fashion enthusiasts and Doodie Stark is thriving in the village once again, bringing visitors from all over the country.

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