A Hull entrepreneur who began upcycling secondhand furniture from her university halls has built one of the city centre’s distinct independent retail stores.

Lara Roberts, 32, founder of Plant & Paint, started trading in 2010 while an undergraduate at the University of Hull in East Yorkshire. What originated as a student side project selling restored charity shop finds has developed into a permanent shop on Humber Street, located within Hull’s regenerated waterfront Fruit Market district.

“My business journey began when I was at university in Hull,” Lara explains. “When a chalk paint shop opened up round the corner, I started buying bits and bobs from charity shops, sprucing up old furniture, and flipping items on eBay and Facebook Marketplace for extra pocket money.”

Following graduation, Ms Roberts committed to the venture full-time, initially trading for five years from a workshop based inside a converted caravan.

As demand increased, she transitioned to a physical retail unit in the city’s cultural quarter, adding indoor botanicals to her inventory. The store is now the city’s only dedicated houseplant specialist.

“Over that time, the business grew organically from a passion project into a real brand, and we now have a proper shop on Humber Street in Hull’s Fruit Market,” Lara recalled. “It was around this time that I introduced houseplants to the shop, and we’re now proudly the only dedicated houseplant shop in Hull.”

Ms Roberts noted that backing from family and her partner provided the early financial runway required to establish the firm without commercial debt.

“Reaching this point required a lot of support, both emotionally and financially,” Lara added. “In those vital early stages, my partner provided crucial financial help, and I’m incredibly grateful for the ‘bank of mum and dad’ for supporting me financially when I needed that initial runway to grow.”

The enterprise's unconventional beginnings reflect broader trends across the UK small business landscape. A study of 1,500 UK business owners by digital lender Starling Bank found that while 22 per cent launched from a dedicated home office, many began in less conventional spaces: 13 per cent from a living room sofa, 12 per cent from a garage, and 8 per cent from a shared kitchen table. Four per cent began trading from a childhood bedroom or a car.

People often think that starting a business needs expensive offices and large upfront investment, but our research shows that some of the UK’s most successful businesses begin much closer to home. Entrepreneurs can be good with money by keeping overheads low while also making the most of the support from friends and family. Pairing this with good financial habits and the right digital tools to manage cash flow and automate admin, it can provide business owners with the right route for success.