About us

Our Journey so far

Our Story – The Heart Behind The Eco Boutique

At The Eco Boutique, everything we do is rooted in the belief that small changes can make a big difference — for our homes, our families, and the planet.

Over the years we’ve been incredibly proud to help our community discover eco-friendly gifts, organic clothing, and plastic-free homewares, while also becoming a trusted refill destination for natural skincare and household products.

But the story of The Eco Boutique began long before the shelves were filled.

Inspired by “Nugget”

The journey began with our son Ollie — lovingly nicknamed “Nugget.”

In September 2019 we discovered we were expecting. At the time, I (Nicci) was studying full-time for a BA in Business HRM, while also navigating life after a traumatic event that left me with PTSD and living with generalised anxiety disorder and Fibromyalgia (ME).

I knew that traditional employment might not give me the flexibility I needed for both my health and my growing family. I wanted to build something meaningful — something I could shape around family life while doing work that truly mattered.

So, with Nugget on the way, the idea for an eco-focused baby and gift business in Devon was born.

During pregnancy — and through the uncertainty of lockdown — I spent months building the business plan, researching sustainable brands, testing products, and placing orders for the year ahead… all while finishing my final year at university.

A Business Born in Lockdown

Ollie arrived in April 2020, right in the middle of the first Covid lockdown.

A few months later we moved to the beautiful town of Ottery St Mary in East Devon, where my mum’s side of the family grew up. Surrounded by countryside, woodland walks, and family nearby, it quickly felt like the perfect place to raise our little boy.

In February 2021, Eco Baby Box launched online.

Then, in June 2021, when a local baby shop announced it was closing, an opportunity appeared. I took a deep breath and jumped in with both feet — securing the premises and opening the doors to our first shop on 1st September 2021.

In 2022, Eco Baby Box became a trademarked business. As the product range grew beyond baby items, we rebranded to Devon Eco Boutique, while still continuing our award-winning Eco Baby Box gift boxes.

Over time, our community naturally began calling us “The Eco Boutique”, and in 2025 we embraced that name across our social channels.

Growing Into Something Bigger

By December 2022 we moved into a larger premises on Broad Street in Ottery St Mary, allowing us to expand our range even further.

The store became home to:

Plastic-free homewares
Refillable skincare and cleaning products
Organic clothing and accessories
Sustainable gifts for all ages

We also introduced initiatives that meant a lot to us, including:

A pre-loved clothing exchange for babies through to adults
Blister pack recycling scheme
A bra recycling bank
Stocking a number of independent sustainable brands, mostly from the UK

It became more than just a shop.

A Community Space for Parents and Families

From the beginning, my goal was for The Eco Boutique to feel warm, welcoming and supportive — especially for new parents.

Inside the shop we created a child-friendly environment where families felt it was somewhere they could come even on those harder days for a friendly face.

We offered:

A baby changing station
A comfortable chair for feeding or nursing
Baby weighing scales (in partnership with Devon Public Health Nursing)
Toys and a small book nook for little ones

It became a place where parents could pause, chat, and feel supported during those early days of parenthood.

A New Chapter

Running a small business while raising a young family is a beautiful adventure — but also a demanding one.

Over time, my health condition Fibromyalgia (ME) has made the physical demands of running a bricks-and-mortar shop increasingly challenging.

In February 2026, I made the difficult but positive decision to close our physical shop premises. This choice allows me to prioritise my health, prepare for the arrival of our baby boy, and create a more sustainable way to continue the work I love around family life.

While the shop doors may have closed, The Eco Boutique is very much still here.

Our focus has simply evolved.

We now serve our customers primarily online, making it easier than ever to shop our carefully curated range of eco-friendly products from the comfort of home.

Looking Ahead

The Eco Boutique has always been about more than products.

It’s about supporting small businesses, making sustainable living easier, and building a community of people who care about the impact of the choices they make.

We’re so grateful to everyone who has supported us on this journey — from our early days packing orders during lockdown, to the wonderful customers who walked through our shop doors.

This next chapter allows us to keep doing what we love, just in a way that works better for our family and our future.

And we can’t wait to see where it leads.

Thank you for being part of our story.

Nicci, Nugget & Karl
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Meet the Devon Eco Boutique team

Charitable Giving:

We've donated £4000 to charity through both financial donations and goods & services, to support some local and national charities to help them to continue the valuable work they do.

Commitment to Sustainability / Zero Waste:

As a business, we are constantly mindful of the waste produced and try to find alternatives / ways to reduce this. We carefully choose our products and companies we work with based on their commitment to fair treatment of their staff as well as their commitment to zero waste.

Against Breast Cancer - Bra Recycling

We introduced a bra bank to help people to recycle bras locally. Our bank is registered with Against breast cancer and so far we've helped people to recycle 4600 bras whilst raising money for charity.

Devon Clothing, Book and Toy Exchange Scheme

We started an exchange scheme which enables people to exchange clothing, books and toys for store credit. So far we've given £25,000 in in-store credit in exchange for items no longer required.

Partnership with Ecologi

Number of trees planted 1174 through Ecologi. By supporting Ecologi, we are supporting projects that are in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.