Oberon celebrates 40 years of style on Shrewsbury's Wyle Cop

Wyle Cop in Shrewsbury is one of the county's best loved shopping streets, and for four decades Oberon has been part of its character. The independent business, which opened its first small shop on the street in 1985, is celebrating 40 years, and its founder has been honoured in London.

In March, Stacey Hill, founder and proprietor of the three Oberon shops, was presented with a HERo award at the Houses of Parliament. The award recognises the achievements of female entrepreneurs, and Stacey was nominated by Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley.

"It was a fantastic day. Really lovely," Stacey said. "And I came away feeling proud and energised to go on and do more." Mrs Buckley said Stacey had been an important part of Shrewsbury town centre over the years with her three shops.

The shops sit a few doors apart on Wyle Cop. The first, still the heart of Oberon, has rails of British and European labels chosen by the team. A second focuses on everyday wardrobe pieces with the shoes, bags and accessories to match, and the third is dedicated to silver, semi-precious stones and statement jewellery. "It's brilliant having the three shops so close together. It works really well," Stacey said.

Oberon describes itself as more slow style than fast fashion. Its buyers pick makers they believe in, from Danish knitwear to Spanish dresses and Portuguese shoes, and the shop says it still knows most of its customers by name. Its founding rule, it says, was to fill the shop only with things the team would happily wear themselves.

Stacey has also been watching how people shop in the town. After Christmas she reported that trade was on a par with 2024, with many shoppers coming from much farther afield and making a weekend of it, staying in hotels and meeting friends to shop.

With the anniversary year under way, she has promised the business will be "jumping on the 40-year bandwagon, totally and utterly."

Oberon's shops are on Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Find out more at oberonshrewsbury.co.uk.