Shevaun Joy and Lisa Manditsch opened Destination Travel in Silsden, west Yorkshire, in 2009 – a year after the previous agency business they worked for closed down.
Now, after a years-long search to identify a location for their second shop, Joy and Manditsch will expand into nearby Barnoldswick later this month, which is just over the border in Lancashire.
“We opened Silsden and planned to open another shop within five years, but then the ash cloud – and babies – came along,” co-owner Joy told TTG.
“We started looking for opportunities in the local area now we’ve bounced back from the pandemic – we’re selling more than ever before. Lisa and I decided on Barnoldswick, which is about 40 minutes away from Silsden.
Joy added: “There are no other travel agencies in Barnoldswick, but there are a lot of independent retailers – and there’s a lovely market square.”
Joy revealed the new Barnoldswick branch is smaller in size than the Silsden shop. “We honestly just wanted the location on the market square,” she explained. “There are a couple of larger places on streets further back, but they’re not on the square.”
This week, the agency is launching a new Facebook page for the Barnoldswick branch and working to brand up the shop ahead of its planned opening on 30 November – the same day the town’s Christmas lights are switched on.
Joy confirmed the agency’s six existing employees will initially staff the new shop before the business launches a recruitment drive in the new year. "This will give our existing staff a chance to grow into their roles,” Joy explained.
“In Barnoldswick, our biggest challenge is the last travel agency closed down around the time of Covid, so there has been no travel agency here for five or six years. We need to change booking habits as I guess people have tended to book their holidays direct."
Joy added: “Looking at the local demographic, it’s 50s to mid-60s, so automatically we’re thinking cruise and touring bookings.
"There’s also a big commuter population who travel to places like Skipton and Manchester for work. They will be our first port of call. The main thing for us is to get people into the shop.”
TikTok ‘sensation’ to open branch
To help Destination engage with its new customer base, Joy has asked TikTok “sensation” Nannabea to open the Barnoldswick branch.
“We’ve got a local celebrity called Nannabea coming along,” said Joy. “She’s got 1.8 million followers. She talks about real life and recipes in her videos. I contacted her on Instagram about coming to open the shop – she is such a personable character.”
Joy, meanwhile, revealed Destination Travel was looking at Thornton-in-Craven or Earby – both an eight-minute drive from Barnoldswick – as potential locations for future shops.
She also confirmed the agency had plans to add to its current homeworking cohort of one and to create a standalone division.
