Jan Shutt set up Sunday Best in the early seventies and says there’s never been a day since then that she hasn't wanted to go to work. Her energy and enthusiasm for fashion and customer service have undoubtedly been the catalysts for the nationwide success she now enjoys. Profits almost seem to be an added bonus alongside her drive to bring her customers the best, eclectic fashion collections she can find. She's won awards for her expertise as an independent retailer and is well respected amongst the London fashionistas, despite being based way, way north of W1.

Jan's collection of womenswear and menswear is dynamic and directional, but always with an eye on having something for everyone. You are just as likely to bump into one of the lads from Manchester United as you are one of the lasses from the local slipper factory.

The shop's contemporary interior is a mix of Jan's creative input and the craftsmanship of a local engineering firm

Starting up in that sombre fashion decade of the seventies, Jan says, "The shop opened in 1971, in the days when fashion had kind of gone away from when you stood there and said you wanted a pink dress and somebody brought a dress to you. It became much more supermarket. For the first time you started to go along the rails and shop for yourselves. I thought I'd like a bit of action, a bit of change of direction and I think the seventies was perhaps the right time to start a business."

"The name Sunday Best came from Flora Thompson’s Lark Rise to Candleford. I was reading it when I was doing A level English and the words ‘Sunday best’ came off the page. It was talking about all these people who’d got dressed up for Sunday and to me it epitomised something special."

Jan's menswear collection frequently attracts the attention of the Manchester United squad

"The number of people who ask me, why did you open in Rawtenstall, why not in Manchester, but we’re on the end of the M66 motorway link and clients can park outside the store. The building was also the most beautiful Victorian building that was available. It just made political good sense in terms of the logistics of getting in to the main cities and the expense of a building like this in Manchester central would just be out of reach. I find that if you’re a destination shop it doesn’t matter where you are, people will travel and just the convenience of being able to park outside is just fantastic."

The celebs' changing room, discretely hidden away from too many prying eyes

Starting up in a business is fraught with growing pains and as Jan's first venture, she reflects back on the early days. "I was the most green naïve person you can imagine. I borrowed a pot of gold of £3000 and managed to pay it off with interest in the first year. It was a huge success right from the word go, but when I started off I knew nothing about the industry. I used to go into Manchester with a small amount of money and really I could have thrown it up in the air and said where it landed is where I buy the goodies because I had no experience. I made some huge mistakes. I bought hotpants when they were out of fashion and the only thing I could use them for were the zips and buttons. Really at times it’s a wonder that I’ve actually survived to Sunday Best as we see it today!"

Jan has even made her customer toilet look glam with fashion illustrations painted on the walls

"I think life has been the biggest developer for me, I’ve learned everything, with no formal training. Most people if they go into this would perhaps have a fashion degree or a fashion and marketing degree and if I’d have had the help that a lot of young people have now before opening a shop or a store I probably would have a million Sunday Bests around the world. But I’ve enjoyed every day, there’s never been a day that I think I don’t want to got to work. I’m so passionate about the fashion industry, it’s just been a great working life for me."

Listen to more of our interview with Jan