WHEN Melanie Thorpe reached 40 she had no idea that her parents had planned a very special gift for her.

Pam and Don Starkey decided to give their daughter what she had long wanted a shop of her own.

Mrs Starkey said: "When she was coming up to her birthday she was a bit depressed. She had always wanted a shop so we decided it would be a good present."

After two months hard work Mrs Thorpe has opened the shop, near Budgens at Paxcroft Mead, Trowbridge, in time for Christmas.

She said: "We have been open nearly a week now and it has been quite busy.

"It is going well and I am really enjoying it."

Her shop, Window Box, stocks all sorts of gift items, including jewellery, stationery and novelty items, as well as a range of cards.

A gift bag service for children's parties is also available and is proving to be very popular with parents.

Mrs Thorpe said:"It's one less thing for mothers to worry about when they're trying to organise a party."

There are also inexpensive gift items that make perfect gifts for children to buy with their pocket money.

Mrs Thorpe is used to retail, having spent 20 years selling charity greeting cards.

She moved to Paxcroft Mead with her husband and three children a year ago and lives at Cornbrash Rise just a few yards from her new business.

She said: "It is actually a good way to get to know new people I've met more people who live on my street through the shop than I have just living there."