Walking through the doors of Nadder & Wylye is like entering a treasure trove.

In one half of the shop, charming chests of drawers sit alongside beautiful dressers and vintage desks, all painted in varying shades. Look through the central archway, and rails of clothes hang next to tables piled with clutch bags and accessories.

It's a dream come true for owner Tom Strover, who is busy in the workshop area at the back of the shop when I pop by for a chat.

It's just days since the shop opened in what was once a fabric store in Southbourne, but business is already booming for the brand, which has relocated from its small beginnings at Christchurch Shopping Emporium.

"I was in education, my wife Suzi was in pharmacy," explains Tom of the couple's background.

"But we've always been doing things, as far as little businesses on the side. We were making our own pictures; cakes, pulled pork, all sorts of little things like that.

"Then I started making vintage wooden pictures from floorboards and started selling those in a shop in Christchurch. Suzi then started making little cottages on driftwood.

"About four years ago, I left education, started a home improvement company and started studied interior design. Suzi left pharmacy.

"We took on a small space in an emporium in Christchurch, selling small bits of homeware. Then the opportunity came along to open our own emporium at Wilton, near Salisbury."

The couple built up the business from just six traders to more than 60 over three years. But the yearning to open their own store hadn't gone away and, when the unit beneath the emporium became available they took it on and started selling their own furniture, clothing, gifts and accessories.

"When we first started, it was fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants and see what worked," says Tom. "We said we would do three months and see how it went. We did 18 months."

Despite the success of the shop, the couple wanted to relocate the business to Southbourne, where they live with their children, and so jumped at the opportunity to move to larger premises when the former Zebedee Fabrics store became available.

Tom, along with the help of wife Suzi – who continues to run the emporium in Wilton – is now keen to grow the business's social media presence and e-commerce shop.

"We are putting on lots of workshops, from furniture painting to (decluttering expert) Marie Kondo - we've got specialists coming in to teach things like jewellery making and candle making."

Nadder & Wylye – named after the two rivers which meet outside Tom and Suzi's first shop in Salisbury – also features accessories including soft furnishings, lamps, pots and artwork, all created by local craftspeople.

"We try and source things that are ethical, recycled and sustainable as much as we can. The clutch bags support women in work in rural areas of Vietnam and the paint company we use is eco-friendly.

"Certain people that we think are on brand, we sell their products with commission. A lot of the traders that we have in are local, so we support local businesses."

Alongside the locally-made crafts sit Tom's own shelving, tables and even his artwork - the latter created inadvertently while wiping paint off of used brushes in his workshop.

"I try and do things that I like, but I also try and do things a bit wacky to show people what we do," he says. "I get told off for painting everything grey, but you get more people coming in and wanting that than a piece of red furniture, or something pink."

Things change pretty much weekly in the shop, but Tom – who also offers a painting service – is also a regular visitor to trade fairs, where he finds inspiration and follows seasonal trends.

"I'm not a huge fan of the shabby chic look," he adds, "I don't necessarily think our stuff is that style – some of it you could say was, but I think people are moving away from that now.

"Mid Century seems to be very fashionable at the moment. And also this Indian, Moroccan look – teals, something a bit more adventurous."

Offering a bespoke service is also key to the business.

"When we have a shop like this we have to give people the idea of what things will look like in their own home, the way that they will display it," Tom explains.

"Our ethos has to be giving something back to the customer."

Nadder & Wylye, Seabourne Road, Southbourne