Gosport craft shop reopens in bigger premises after growing in popularity

On Monday, the mayor of Gosport councillor Zoe Huggins officially opened Handcrafted Village, which has moved to Nobes Avenue, in Bridgemary, Gosport.

The shop opened in June last year and had previously been trading from the Basepoint Business Centre in Aerodrome Road.

However after proving popular and outgrowing the space, the directors decided to move to a larger property in order to better accommodate to their future plans of hosting crafting workshops and lessons for the public.

Business has been booming since the move on April 12, with a surge in both sales and new customers.

‘Last week was phenomenal’, director Ian Smith said.

‘We’ve had a lot of people come through and a lot of returning customers.’

The store sells a range of items all made by local crafters. Stock ranges from hand-blended teas, to garden ornaments and jewellery, and much more.

The business started when Ian and his wife Carole began hand-blending teas in a variety of flavours.

The couple then met other directors married couple Adrien and Bev Morgan, who make lamps out of materials such as copper and wood, at a craft fair two years ago.

Both couples then put their business ideas together and contacted other local crafters to set up Handcrafted Village.

After trading whenever possible and surviving through lockdowns, the owners said they are excited to start utilising the larger space.

Ian said: 'We’re here for the community and all the local crafters.

SEE ALSO: Portsmouth mum Nadine Hill drowning in debt given 'amazing' leg-up by millionaires is set to appear on television show

‘The amount of local crafters that are around the Gosport area is phenomenal’.

Ian said they were proud to have the mayor officially open the store.

Cllr Huggins said she was impressed by what she saw.

She said: ‘Opening a community resource is invaluable, Handcraft Village offers local craft sellers a great outlet supporting the local economy and local people.

‘The shop is also a vital resource in providing community space, crafting and connecting us again as a community, as we come out of Covid and we can do so safely.’

For more search Handcrafted Village Ltd on Facebook, or go to handcraftedvillage.co.uk

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, for 27p a day.