Mystique puts its name back above the door in Shrewsbury

A name that Shrewsbury shoppers never stopped using is back above a shop door. Mystique, the lingerie and swimwear business known in the town for four decades, opened at 6 Market Street on Saturday 5 September.

The new shop is about fifty yards from its previous home at 13 The Square, where for the past two years it had been the ground floor lingerie department of a two-floor independent. The move has allowed the team to build a shop entirely around what customers have always come to them for.

Owner Debbie Carvell, a former primary school teacher who was a customer long before she owned the business, bought Mystique Lingerie and Swimwear with her husband Paul in April 2019. At that time it traded from Abbotts House on Butcher Row, the Grade I listed Tudor building dating from 1459.

The name came down from the sign during a rebrand in 2023, but as Debbie explains, nobody in Shrewsbury ever changed it in conversation. "When a town has held on to a name for forty years, the sensible thing is to put it back above the door," she said.

Inside, the rails carry Marie Jo, PrimaDonna, Lise Charmel, Aubade, Chantelle and Anita, along with the Deja Vu edit of pre-loved designer fashion. Bespoke bra fitting runs from 30AA to 50K in new, larger fitting rooms, and post-surgery fitting is available by appointment. The same four-strong team has made the move.

"Lingerie, post-surgery and swimwear is what we are best at and what people have always come to us for, and the new shop is built entirely around that," Debbie said.

Co-owner Paul Carvell has also been enjoying the improvements to the town centre around them. Speaking for a Shrewsbury BID feature on street cleanliness, he said customers and visitors had commented on the visible improvements and the feel-good impression it creates. "It makes you proud to be part of the town and the business community," he said.

For a specialist fitting service with a personal touch, the new Market Street shop is well worth a visit.

Mystique is at 6 Market Street, Shrewsbury, open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. Post-surgery fittings are by appointment.