Revealed: New shop coming to York’s Shambles – and it has nothing to do with wizards!

A new shop is set to open its doors on York’s most famous street later this month.

Work is now underway to transform what was home to York Glass Ltd on ancient Shambles – and unlike many recent additions, the incomer has nothing to do with magic, wizards or fantasy!

It will become the fourth retail outlet for Freckleface, YorkMix can reveal.

With a tag-line, ‘Bring the scent of nature into your home’, Freckleface sells a range of fragrance products, from candles to diffusers to bath bombs.

Mum and son duo Tara and Noah Carlile-Swift launched the business from their Lincolnshire kitchen back in 2017.

It “started as a hobby and a way of showing our son how a business works” – but soon took off.

Freckleface now boasts three standalone shops – including one in the Queens Arcade, Leeds – and its products are stocked in more than 400 stores across the country.

The York shop will be housed in number 34 Shambles, a 19th century, Grade II listed property, complete with one of the famous York cats climbing the outside wall. And its striking bow window will be a good way to showcase various products.

The website says: “We decided early on to be a business we are proud of so our products are vegan, all of our ingredients are ethically and where possible, locally sourced, and we don’t use any plastic in our packaging.

​”We are a family run business, with my husband, nephew & best friends now working for us in our workshop where we make everything by hand.​”

Freckleface is due to open by the end of March. Previous occupants of the shop, York Glass, moved out at Christmas.

But its famous lucky glass cats are still available to buy online.