Portsmouth mechanic to turn dream into reality by opening sustainable vintage shop in Southsea

Merlin Pitt has always had a passion for sustanability and vintage clothing for as long as he could remember - and it was 12 years ago that he began paving the way for his future.

It all started when his friends would go to his house and sift through his wardrobe looking for things they could borrow. It gave Merlin the idea to start selling second-hand vintage clothing. From there, his dream has become a vivid reality and after years of pop up shops, selling clothing online and attending markets, he will opening a shop in Albert Road next month.

Merlin was presented with the opportunity to open a small shop in Salisbury last year and he jumped at the chance to get his foot in the door of the industry. His small vintage store has gone from strength to strength - but his dream has always been to have a shop in Southsea - so that is what he has been working towards.

The mechanic found a perfect site in the heart of the city and decided to grab the opportunity with both hands. The new vintage shop will replace the existing one in Salisbury and Merlin is hoping to open the first weekend in March.

Merlin said: "It has been my dream to have a shop like this since I was a little boy so finally my dream has come true.

"It is like a lottery win and to me it doesn't get better than this - this is as good as it gets.

"My mum has always bought me up to look after the planet and that is something that is crucial to my lifestyle, and opening a shop based around sustainability - it just doesn't get any better than this.

"Last summer, I got the opportunity to open a shop in Salisbury and my partner told me that I had to go for it - where we live in Southsea it has always been my dream to have a shop here and another opportunity came up and I have jumped in."

Merlin is a mechanic by trade and has slowly been reducing his hours at work in order to pursue his dream and he is hoping that the business will be successful enough so that it can become a full-time focus. The 36-year-old is going to be specialising in 80s, 90s and 2000s clothing as well as accessories, footwear and magazines. In a bid to stand out in the city, he is also planning on painting the shop bright pink.

Merlin added: "I feel quite romantic about it all. The fact that clothing is the skin we choose and it depicts what we are into at the time - I want to use this shop to celebrate culture and fashion.

"I get so overwhelmed and excited when I think about it."

For more information about Actually Merlin Vintage, click here.