Russell, who switched from Not Just Travel to Wanderluxe during the pandemic, opened the doors to her new premises on Friday (28 August) after a month's hard work turning the former waffle shop in her Staffordshire hometown of Eccleshall into a "travel boutique".

Russell said the decision to open a shop, her first foray into retail travel, was driven partly by a desire to attract higher-value bookings, which she felt had been harder to reach as a homeworker.

"I think that when you've got a shopfront, you get a lot more credibility," she said. "I've grown to a point now where I want to crack some of those bigger bookings."

She said the shop had already generated enquiries for an "ultra-luxe Dubai trip" and a Seabourn cruise, adding having a physical presence was even helping bring her regulars through the door.

"One of my clients read about the store on my social media and came to find me – that's the first time we've met in the six years I've known them," she said. "I feel like it's already creating a community."

The unit sits opposite a beauty studio in a small arcade, which Russell said was "handy" for nabbing potential clients.

"We've had several people who've literally either fallen out of the door of the beauty studio straight into mine, or have called in on the way there because they're just intrigued," she said.

'It all happened in the span of a week'

Russell's journey in travel has taken her from her kitchen table to a home office and then her very own garden cabin "travel lounge", where clients could visit her.

The inspiration to jump into retail came when she sat down to dinner with some clients onboard a Virgin Voyages cruise, who asked her whether she would ever open her own store.

One of them just so happened to know about a vacant unit, and Russell secured first refusal before meeting the landlord shortly after returning home from holiday. "It all happened in the span of a week," she said. "I just seized the opportunity."

The premises have been rewired, sanded and painted from floor to ceiling, with Russell designing the space to feel more like a boutique hotel lobby than a "standard travel shop".

Russell has also partnered with local candle company Wandering Bee to create a bespoke Wanderluxe "Summer Glow" scent, with a winter version planned from October. The coconut-scented candles will be sold in the store and used as gifts for clients.

Lisa Russell

Russell said she is actively recruiting, with her team expected to go up from a current three – including her mother Pat – to six, with roles spanning sales, administration and "transaction co-ordination".

Pat, who is nearly 80, works from home rather than the shop and has spent years checking in with Russell's clients, making sure their paperwork is in order and sending thank-you cards to customers. "She calls it her second job," Russell said. "I call it caring for the community."

Russell said she would ultimately like the new store to match the £2 million turnover she has achieved as a homeworker, although she acknowledged that this was an ambitious goal.

"I'd love to make what we do at home in our first year," she said. "I think that's going to be aspirational. If I can do 50% of that, that would be amazing."

Either way, Russell has no immediate plans to move away from the smaller-store concept. "I have actually really fallen in love with my little store already," she said. "The first time I sat down after all the work was finished, I cried. It's perfect – exactly what I wanted."