The St Werburgh Street love story which inspired a clothing brand
Husband and wife team, Ben and Natalia Taylor, are the creators behind Bepo (Be Positive).
The brand is a 'passion project' fueled by a desire to get more people talking about mental health, through what they wear.
Both working full-time, alongside running the independent store, their journey started selling t-shirts and hoodies with their own print designs, over time developing their own sustainable, made-to-order outerwear collection.
Bepo does this with unused ex-mod parachutes, along with festival and campsite waste and deadstock fabric, all handmade in the UK.
Natalia said: "We just have fun with it; it's stuff that makes us happy."
The duo recently moved to the former Barbour unit on St Werburgh Street, following successful pop-ups in Cheshire Oaks and Liverpool one.
Along this iconic strip of shops and restaurants, the origins of their love story are reflected all around them.
Natalia spoke to Chester Nub News about the history behind the brand and the people at the heart of it.
As she pointed to the 'White Stuff' store along the road, she reflected on its former use as a 'Pure' department store, where she worked as assistant manager for ten years.
Natalia explained: "Having that opposite me 20 years later is crazy. That's how Ben and I both met: believe it or not, on St Werburgh Street."
Both working in fashion early in their careers, they met and fell in love along Chester's streets, creating a full circle moment as we stood in their new pop-up store a stone's throw away from where it all began.
Natalia added: "Next door, funnily enough, is where Ben told me he loved me. St Werburgh Street is a very special place; it's lovely to be back."
In a difficult financial climate for independent businesses in Chester and across the country, the business owner highlighted the city's rich history of smaller independent shops.
She said: "Back then, it was full of loads of cool independents. Then all those big shops pushed them away and then all the big shops are gone now.
"There's a lot of empty space in Chester.
"Hopefully they can be filled with independents again. If we can be a part of that, it would be amazing."
Mechanical supervisor and nursery assistant by week, and small business owners by weekend, Natalia reflected on the couple's past nine years, 'chasing the Bepo dream' whilst balancing full time jobs and raising three kids.
At the core of Bepo's mission lies the message of mental health, after Ben struggled with his for most of his life.
Natalia added: "That's what Bepo is about, you know, just being a decent human, surrounding yourself with decent humans.
"It is a passion project. I think because we show that, it's what makes it grow and grow.
"That's why it's good meeting people because you can see the passion then, and people are interested in the story."
Natalia highlighted their work with the charity, Flynns Port In The Storm, which deals with mental health crisis management.
Bepo had invited the group to one of their pop-ups at Cheshire Oaks.
Natalia explained the value of connection and conversation, as she said: "They didn't really understand what we were doing.
"When we got speaking and spent some time with them, they were like, 'well if you can help somebody at this end, hopefully we can prevent somebody from getting to that crisis stage.'
Bepo's strong focus on working with local community groups is highlighted by their campaign with Petty Pool College, a specialist education provider supporting adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.
The final product, a guided project, has just been recognised at the House of Lords.
Aiming to empower young people to reach their full potential, Ben and Natalia helped the students develop their own streetwear clothing brand which they called AI: All Inclusive.
Explaining the initiative, Natalia said: "We did a competition with them and they came up with the 'All Inclusive'.
"They created the clothes, they did the vinyl picking, the heat pressing.
"We did a little photoshoot, they edited the photos.
Some of the students there don't get the opportunities when they finish college, they've got nowhere to go.
"So hopefully giving them a skill, or a bit of inspiration that anyone can do what they want to do if they put their mind to it.
"It was absolutely brilliant. It's what it's all about: collaboration."
You can find out more about Bepo and the work they do here.
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