A BUSINESS that launched as a market stall in St Helens 24 years ago is scaling up operations with a new and improved warehouse.

Selling a vast range of crystals, salt lamps, incense, and accessories, the Salt & Rock Shop has built up a loyal following since launching in St Mary's market back in the early 1990s.

Although the St Helens market stall has since departed, the business has opened shops in Ormskirk, Birkenhead, Preston, and Scotland, and sells its variety of products from its St Helens warehouse on Gerards Park.

With business continuing to improve despite the "turbulence" of recent years, business partners Steven Rowlands and Gary Prescott will soon into a much bigger warehouse unit on Gerards Park next month.

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Steven in the current Salt & Rock Shop warehouseSteven in the current Salt & Rock Shop warehouse (Image: Salt & Rock Shop) Speaking about the business, Steven said: "It has been a turbulent few years for every business, but we have been through recessions before and I think we learned how to live with it and weather the storm.

"I think one of the main things that has helped us is the customers who have stayed with us, because you do build up a loyal base when you have been opened for so long, and we are still seeing people who came to us 20 years ago."

Some of the crystal products that the Salt & Rock Shop selllsSome of the crystal products that the Salt & Rock Shop sellls (Image: Salt & Rock Shop) While the incoming move will afford the Salt & Rock shop more space to store its collection of products, the new warehouse will also provide space for the business' health foods and vitamins, as well as treatments such as reiki and crystal healing.

With training courses also being planned at the Gerards Park hub, this is an avenue where Steven and Gary are eager to go down to further expand the business.

"I think we are trying to create a real wellness hub here in St Helens, because I don't think there is many places that provides everything that we do in one place", Steven added.

"I think it's going to be great because we will have more space to provide more products and also bring people in with treatments and courses, all around that idea of wellness."