Owner ‘blown away’ by response to first seven months of ‘wellness wonderland’ business in Northampton
She has been successful in her aim of creating “a space to pause, connect and realign”
A Northampton business owner has been “blown away” by the response to her first seven months open, having been described in one customer’s review as a “wellness wonderland”.
Love Your Presence, a holistic gift shop and wellness studio founded by Mita Unalkat, opened in June last year with the aim of helping people become the best versions of themselves.
Mita has lived in Northampton since she was 13 years old and first set up a beauty treatment business when she finished her studies 25 years ago.
After undergoing a complete 360, Mita became a meditation facilitator and reiki practitioner – which is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing.
Mita started this venture four years ago as a mother of three, after going through a divorce and remarrying before having her third child.
Having moved out of the pharmaceutical industry to be a full-time mother and realising the industry was not for her, Mita was inspired to help others by her experiences with perimenopausal symptoms.
She practised reiki, meditation and worked on herself to come out the other side of what she was experiencing, and wanted to use that knowledge to help others.
Mita held stalls at fetes for two years, which was a success and encouraged her to find a premises and set up the holistic gift shop and wellness studio.
“It is absolutely amazing,” said Mita. “I’m blown away with the response I’ve had. People come from outside of the town to visit.
“The feedback is amazing and people tell me they actually forget where they are. I really give them the time and make them feel valued and welcome.”
Love Your Presence is aimed at those who want to start or continue their self-discovery journey, in what Mita describes as giving them “balance, harmony and a magical feeling”.
When asked what she believes people like the most about the shop, Mita said: “It’s that I want to connect with every single person who comes in.”
Despite collaborating with 10 different independent businesses and promoting what they sell in-store, customers spending money is not what Love Your Presence is all about.
“People drop in to have a chat and there’s not an expectation to buy,” she added.
As Mita is still on her own journey, particularly with perimenopausal symptoms, she enjoys taking the time to pause and connect with those who visit.
The business owner’s proudest achievement of 2023 was breaking even, while being successful in her aim of creating “a space to pause, connect and realign”.
Mita, who was also pleased to hold several events and support local charities last year, said: “I’m happy and delighted that I have done what I set out to do.”
Love Your Presence has workshops planned for the next six months, which has left Mita “so excited” for 2024.
“The beauty is it has happened and evolved naturally,” she said. “It was described as a wellness wonderland in an online review.”