15 of the best independent shops for buying handmade this year

10 December 2020

Step off the high street and into these one-of-a-kind craft stores – or visit them online

10 December 2020

In a year that’s found us all spending more time at home than we ever imagined, we’ve come to appreciate the quiet pleasure in the tactile objects we surround ourselves with all the more. But, after the mayhem wreaked by COVID-19 lockdown closures, independent craft shops and makers are in vital need of our support. Here are the finest online and offline stores to help you buy handmade this Christmas.

Momosan Shop, London

Momoko Mizutani established Momosan Shop as a haven for independent craft makers, much in the same spirit as the pottery shops of her native Japan. Snap up one-off glass pieces by German artist Jochen Holz, or wool bags by knitter and felt maker Cecilie Telle.

Form Lifestyle Store, Manchester

Nestled in a grade II-listed building in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Form Lifestyle Store celebrates slow living through craft. Set the festive mood with Sussex-based Forge Creative’s handmade wooden trees or local artisan Cedar’s yule candles.

The Home of Sustainable Things, London

Pegged as the UK’s first exclusively-sustainable design shop, The Home of Sustainable Things champions all things ethical and circular – in keeping with our green spirit this season. Think recycled paper pulp repurposed into furniture (Tim Seven Studio) or planter vases made from tea waste (Dust London).  

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Jewellery from Repurposed Plastic, by Bronwen Gwillim. Courtesy: New Brewery Arts

New Brewery Arts, Cirencester

There’ll be plenty of reasons to make a sojourn to this converted Victorian brewery in the heart of the Cotswolds (New Brewery Arts houses a gallery, café and on-site maker studios) – once we can travel more freely. In the meantime you can peruse and purchase an array of textiles, jewellery, ceramics and other home accessories from its online store.

We are Hoos, Glasgow

Karen Harvey MBE opened We are Hoos in 2016 – her first venture into retail after a successful career in charity work. Located in Glasgow’s West End, the store stocks a heady mix of Scandinavian design favourites and British makers, including Edinburgh-based ceramicist Tokes Sharif of Studio Brae and southeast London textile designer Sophie Home.

Opah Store, online

Form and function go hand in hand at online store Opah, which stocks the likes of Danish weaver Karin Carlander, Scottish potter Samuel Sparrow, and The Atlas Works, a modern glassware collaboration between a London design duo and a traditional factory in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco.

Two Colour Glass Sand-Timers, by Ichendorf. Courtesy: A New Tribe

A New Tribe, London

Specialists in Moroccan rugs and textiles, A New Tribe also offers an eclectic array of homewares by small designers and brands from local and international names at its Instagram-worthy Hackney Road store.

The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle

Housed in a former Victorian biscuit manufacturing warehouse in Newcastle’s cultural quarter Ouseburn Valley, The Biscuit Gallery is the largest independent art, craft and design gallery in the UK. To wit, it stocks a smorgasbord of artists and makers, among them Durham potter Laura Hancock and Wiltshire-based jeweller Kirsty Adams.

Contemporary Applied Arts, London

A fixture of the British craft scene since 1948, CAA offers handmade one-off objects by craft makers working across ceramics, jewellery, metal, paper, furniture, glass and textiles. While new works are frequently added to its London gallery and online shop, you can also commission a craftsperson through the CAA to create a truly unique piece.

Throws by Catarina Riccabona, blankets by Begg x Co and cushions from The Good Shepherd and Hollie Ward. Courtesy: The New Craftsmen

The New Craftsmen, London

Housed in a 19th-century Arts & Crafts workshop,The New Craftsmen in London’s Mayfair offers handmade homewares by over 100 makers dotted around the British isles, often fostering collaborations between them. Explore its seductive selection of furniture, lighting, textiles and tableware both instore and online.

Stròm, Kyle of Lochalsh

Contemporary jeweller Tina MacLeod and textile designer Jennifer Carr founded Stròm in 2019, paying homage to their Gaelic and Norse heritages in both the shop’s name and its ethos. Located in the Kyle of Lochalsh, the store carries jewellery, ceramics, textiles and stationery sourced from Scotland and beyond.

Lovedazzle, online

For devotees of contemporary jewellery, Lovedazzle is a virtual mecca that plays host to unique works by over 60 designers. Pegged as more than just an online extension of the annual Dazzle jewellery exhibition, the site also has a very handy (and regularly updated) directory so you can get to know their talented makers.

Black Sculptural Ceramic Rainbow Vase, by Grace McCarthy. Courtesy: Graen Studios

Graen Studios, online

An online store with a horticultural bent, Graen Studios will be sure to plant a few seeds of inspiration. Present ideas of plant-loving friends include Ceramicist Grace McCarthy’s sculptural modernist vases, handmade in London, or burnt oak ikebana vases by Cornwall and Devon-based studio Pachadesign.

Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool

A Liverpudlian mainstay since 1959, the Bluecoat Display Centre supports, exhibits and sells the work of over 350 craftspeople across the UK and is a member of the Own Art scheme – a national initiative that makes it easier and affordable for everyone to buy contemporary craft by providing interest-free loans.

Contemporary Ceramics Centre, London

If ceramics are your jam then Contemporary Ceramics Centre is essential viewing. There’s over 90 artists to choose from in its shop alongside regularly rotating exhibitions curated by longtime gallery manager and head curator Marta Donaghey.

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