THE first shop of fashion giant Laura Ashley is up for sale - her first step on her global empire.
Legendary Laura Ashley even lived upstairs above the store when she started her iconic fabric styles.
She went on to open more than 230 stores around the world with thousands of workers in her classic English country-style fashion beloved by millions in her day.
Her first shop was opened in 1961 in the tiny 2,200-population Welsh market town of Machynlleth, Powys.
Fashion lovers can snap up the store where the English country-style empire began for just £230,000.
The Grade II-listed property boasts a commemorative tablet at the front paying homage to its fashion history.
The Laura Ashley fashion brand started from this building
It offers a retail space on the ground floor along with accommodation upstairs with period oak staircases and timber panels.
Fans of the fashion brand could add a touch of country chic to the property that dates back to the 17th century.
It was snapped up by Ashley and her husband Bernard after they started up their business selling headscarves and accessories.
The couple set up their company in England before it nearly collapsed in 1958 when flooding destroyed much of the stock in Kent.
They decided to move to Wales and bought the store, now named the Deco Shop, while living in the rooms above for six years.
Inside the shop in Wales
The first floor features two rooms including a staff room with a WC and a shower - and the second floor has two rooms with one featuring a skylight.
Ashley's global success meant that she went on to afford a yacht, a private plane, the French Château de Remaisnil in Picardy and a town-house in Brussels.
She also owned the mansion Rhydoldog House in Powys until she died in 1985. It has been bought by singing star Charlotte Church.
Charlotte bought the £1.5 million mansion to spend her life savings transforming it into a wellness retreat in the countryside.
Buyers hoping to purchase a slice of history can now by the first store owned by Ashley 40 miles away from the retreat.
The humble shop where an empire began
Paul Evans, of estate agents Morris Marshall & Poole, said: “This is an exceptional opportunity for the right buyer, having the opportunity to purchase a period property with an interesting history.
“It is a commercial premises, currently known as the Deco Shop, selling quality artist materials and associated items and a base for their interior design business.
“Contained over three floors, it offers fantastic potential in its excellent trading position.”
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