Kyra Komac, 28 years old, now has 25 furniture(家具）stores all over the country. The new store, in London's Camden High Street, takes her back to where it all started. She tells us about how the business began.
"When I was little, my mother began selling flowers in Camden Market. She couldn't leave me at home on my own, so I had to go to the market with her. To begin with, I didn't have to do anything. I just sat there, and my mum told me jokes and stories so I didn't get bored. When I got older, I gave my mum a hand and I really enjoyed it."
"Then, one year, my grandma gave me a book for Christmas. It was all about making candles and I loved it. I was 14, and I didn't have to go to the market anymore because Mum could leave me at home on my own. I spent my free time making candles of all shapes and sizes. I made hundreds of them."
"One day, my mother was ill so I had to go to the market on my own. I decided to take some candles with me and see if I could sell them. They were sold out in twenty minutes! The next week, my mum gave me some money to buy some wax(蜡）to make more candles. They were sold out really quickly, too."
"Nine months later, we decided to stop selling flowers. My mum and I couldn't make enough candles during the week, so some of my school friends started to give us a hand. I paid them one pound for every candle, and we used to sell them for three or four times. It was fun and my friends worked with me in the market."
"At the age of 22, my uncle lent me some money and I opened my first shop in Portobello Road. Since then, I've never looked back, even in difficulties. In the first store, we only sold candles, but now we sell everything from furniture to paintings. Oh, and candles，of course."
