GIFT shop owner Teresa Garraud is hoping to mark 35 years of trading by being named the best in the south west.

Ms Garraud, 68, opened the Emporium in St John's Street, Devizes in 1981 and has seen trade go in peaks and troughs. But she has no plans to retire and still enjoys spotting trends to keep her customers of all ages happy.

Now her shop has made the final of a contest to find the best independent trader in the south west organised by the Progressive Gift and Home magazine. She will be at The Grosvenor Hotel in London May 5 for the award ceremony.

She was voted for by reps, agents and suppliers who regularly visit her Aladdin's cave of a shop that sells everything from clocks and candles to cards and clothes. Ms Garraud, who is originally from Vancouver in Canada, said: "We are thrilled and delighted to have been shortlisted as one of six in our category. It is a special thrill coming this year when the Emporium will have been trading in Devizes for thirty five years."

She originally moved to Wiltshire in 1975 and spent six years in Marlborough before opening the gift shop in Devizes. She said: "At the beginning the shop was quite a bit smaller as we did not use the extra room at the back.

"It has gradually evolved over the years. There are some items such as candles that have stayed popular and are a staple but there are new trends every year. At the moment bottles with stoppers are big sellers and there are glass holders with LED lights rather than wax tea lights that now sell well."

She enjoys going to the big giftware trade shows at Birmingham's NEC at least twice a year. She said: "I like going and seeing all the different goods. I think it is essential to go to keep up to date."

She employs six members of staff, mainly on a part-time basis, but is in the shop herself four or five days a week. She said that pre 2010 was a good time for gift shops but since the last few years had been harder and the shop had not benefitted as much as she would like from tourist trade.

More coaches now stop in Devizes but she said this had not made a big difference to her takings. She said: "The majority of people are still locals. I now serve the children of those who were my original customers.

"We get quite a few youngsters coming in and I like to have affordable items for them."