A TEENAGER has told of how he went from running a luxury personal shopping business from his home to opening his own store.

Bradley MacPherson officially welcomed customers to Laprise UK’s first-ever unit in Clyde Shopping Centre last month. 

Items on offer include a variety of high-end trainers, clothes and bags with the potential for others to be sourced on request.

Glasgow Times: The 18-year-old, from Old Kilpatrick, admitted this was a huge step for his business which he first set up at the height of the Covid pandemic at just 14 years old.

Bradley said: “It all happened so quickly. I had always passed through the shopping centre so I had an idea of how busy it was.

“Also a lot of my clients are from Clydebank and the surrounding areas so the location just made sense.

“We hosted an opening event at the end of March with a DJ and a buffet as well as running fun wee activities throughout the day.

“In store we have local brands on display so we’re not just incorporating the bigger ones but we’re also looking out for the local ones too because at the end of the day, I’m a local business.

“Laprise UK sells a lot of things that you couldn’t just walk into a retail store and buy.

"The stuff we sell is hard to come by whereas we’ve already sourced it so customers can just come into our shop and pick the items up.

“It makes it easier for people in Clydebank to walk into their local shopping centre knowing an item they want is sold out online but they can come in and speak to our staff and ask for it to be sourced and we will try our best.”

Bradley, who is two and a half years into a welding apprenticeship at BAE Systems, had previously been running the business solely on social media with the help of his parents and friends.

Laprise UK’s Instagram page currently has more than 4600 followers.

He explained that over the past couple of years, he has spent a considerable amount of time networking which he hails as his key to success.

The former Clydebank High pupil added that opening his own store has been something "he always dreamed of" and he still hadn’t got his head around.

Bradley said: “It’s hard to put into words. It’s what I’ve always wished for, what I’ve always dreamed about.

“Now that it’s a reality it’s a bit of a shock. The sign went up recently and I went out and looked at it thinking ‘is this really happening?’

“We’ve worked towards it and the work that has been put in not just by myself but my friends and family makes me feel like in some way or another this is deserved.

“Right now we have [a few] members of staff. I’m still seeing out my time at my apprenticeship.

“In the last two years, I’ve been networking. Meeting new people who can do this, that and the next thing means I have a list of numbers in my phone that I can text if I ever need anything.

“Building a good, reliable network is probably the biggest most important thing and without that network, I wouldn’t be at this stage.”

Laprise UK is located at Unit 68 in Clyde Shopping Centre.

For more information visit the company’s website HERE.