Film collectables shop to open in Kettering village

Chrissy Constable with some of the Harry Potter memorabilia.

The husband-and-wife partnership of Mick and Chrissy Constable will open The Film Cell at Moorfield Farm in Pipe Lane on Saturday, July 7.

The self-confessed film fanatics started out online and at Comic-Con events 13 years ago and can’t wait to have a home of their own.

Chrissy, 32, said: “It’s built up over the years and now we’ve got quite a following.

“We wanted to go even further and have a permanent home that our customer base can come to.”

The couple live on the Ise Lodge estate and paid for their first house by selling off their collection of film memorabilia.

The shop will specialise in Harry Potter items from the Noble collection, selling anything from wands to scarves and Harry Potter food and drink such as Butterscotch flavoured beer, chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s every flavour beans.

They will also specialise in Funko Pop! vinyl figures with about 3,000 different styles, as well as selling other items ranging from Ghostbusters neon lights to Game of Thrones eggs.

At a time when shops are traditionally closing and moving online, Chrissy said they’re doing things differently.

She said: “I think we’re going against the grain a little bit but with a lot of the products we sell you have to see them in person to appreciate them.

“A lot of them are very collectable and people want to check the condition of them.”

The pair currently travel around the UK at Comic-Con events from as far north as Glasgow to as far south as the Isle of Wight.

Events attract up to 1,500 people but Chrissy said the lack of such niche shops means there’s a gap in the market.

She said: “It’s something we love and lots of our customers travel quite a long way to find something like this.

“We have a customer from Burton Latimer who follows us round at Comic-Con events and buys a wand each time but now he can just pop down the road, for example.

“There’s a gap in the market for it.”

The shop, based at Unit 5, will open from 9am to 6am on July 7 and will be open from Monday to Saturday from then on.

It will celebrate the opening with a fun day, giveaways, exclusive offers and appearances from film characters.

The Film Cell hopes to take on staff and expand in the future.