The Dials was opened three weeks ago by Corinne Irvine as a little shop for kids, big girls and their homes.

It may be small but it's perfectly situated and it is already a hit with locals and passers-by.

Corinne is so delighted by the area around the Seven Dials, on the boundary between Brighton and Hove, that she is hoping to persuade other traders to form an association similar to those in other parts of the town.

Corinne, who comes from Glasgow via London where she ran a shop in Portobello Road, opened The Dials to sell some of her own designs of baby clothes, vintage denim, soft toys and accessories.

But the shop in Dyke Road is so small she can only stock a limited amount of goods.

Her own range for babies is sold in shops nationwide under the name of Heirs and Graces.

She said: "The good thing about the shop being so small is that I can change the window a couple of times a week.

"People passing by will always see something different.

"Unlike the high street stores, I don't stock up for a season. If something proves to be really popular, I can always get it again.

"But I like to offer a variety and with such a small shop I can only do that by regularly changing stock.

"The window is just like a catalogue. I can display almost everything that is in the shop.

"People don't have to come in to browse - they just have to look in.

"I also do well when there is a queue of traffic waiting to get across the Dials.

"People sitting in their cars can get a great view of the entire shop."

Corinne said she loved the "friendly atmosphere in this part of town".

She said: "When I first moved to Brighton, I lived as close to the station as I could because I thought I would miss London.

"But I found this part of town was great to live in. It has a great village atmosphere.

"It would be nice to get the traders together to form an association so that we could work together to achieve more improvements for the area."

Corinne can be contacted at 01273 771111.