A COUPLE who made the switch from the south coast to East Lancashire hope their new venture will prove popular with parents.

Lullabies of Darwen is less than eight weeks old, but owners Jan and Michael Taylor believe the business can start to grow in 2008.

Based in Duckworth Street, Darwen, the shop sells baby equipment such as prams, cots, high chairs and mattresses and its owners believe it is filling a void in the town's commercial scene.

With no other baby shops in Darwen, Jan, 34, and Michael, 36, are hopeful for the future of the business.

Jan said: "We were living down south where I was a health care assistant at Brighton Hospital and my husband was an electrical wholesale manager.

"We fancied doing something different while our two children were still young and as my husband was originally from Darwen we decided to come back.

"Before starting the business we tried to think what Darwen needed and there were several of these shops in the past that had failed.

"This prompted us to launch Lullabies of Darwen and I think its nice for people to have a local shop.

"I see mums with a couple of kids pushing their children through the town and for them its hard to jump on a bus to Blackburn. It's easier for them to be able to come to us." Despite launching in the run-up to Christmas, Jan said trade was quiet over the festive period but was starting to pick up at the start of the year.

And their online trading is providing a welcome boost.

She added: "We have an eBay shop at the moment and the internet will form 70 per cent of the business.

"The shop lets people know we are here as well though and that's important."