Last weekend, the Home From Home "expat shop" in Strassen opened its new Gift Shop.
Once they had acquired the additional space, Sonya Heffernan and Sarah Smith had spent months preparing the new space which is decorated with many items of upcycled furniture.
Talking with Chronicle.lu, Sonya explained "When we first got talking - over five years ago now - Sarah (Smith) and I quickly realised that we had the same dream - to open a quaint little gift shop, full of unusual, beautiful things to buy and with a charming tea room included."
She then went on to say "After years of planning and months of hard work at Home from Home, we finally opened the door last Saturday, to our 'Teapot Parlour'. Although the tearoom isn't up and running quite yet, we have created a welcoming, tranquil space for customers to browse. They can meet friends for a chat or just stay a while and talk with us. We have been able to increase our selection of cards and added an English book section for both adults and children, as well as all the other gifts like mugs, teapots, etc. Our initial feeling from customers is that they really appreciate the space and calm atmosphere. We can't wait to start serving afternoon teas."
John Heffernan added "I was delighted by the feedback from customers on our first day of opening 'Teapot Parlour', here at Home from Home. Several customers told me that they were going to call friends to come (the tea and cakes on opening day maybe helped a little). Personally, I'd like to thank all the staff for their extra efforts but especially Sarah and Sonya for all the love they have put into this project so far...."
Opened in 2017, Home from Home provides fresh and non-perishable foods from England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, South Africa and the US as well as many other countries. The new Gift Shop is located in the same complex as the shop in Strassen (148 Route d'Arlon), where they are also planning to open a Tea Room shortly.
