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13
Oct 2020
Sneak peek: Colourful charity crafts store opens in Harrogate
With a story behind each and every product on the shelves, a colourful new charity shop is preparing to open its doors in Harrogate tomorrow.
Artizan International's debut store on Oxford Street will sell crafts made by disabled people from the UK, Peru and Ecuador.
The charity, which was previously known as Craft Aid International, was founded by Susie Hart when she returned to Harrogate from Tanzania 10 years ago.
The shop sells bright cushions, lampshades, jewellery, headbands and more made by disabled people. The charity trains them in crafts and gives them a living through the sales.
Picking up a pair of pink earrings off the shelf, Ms Hart explained to the Stray Ferret how the charity changes lives:
The new shop on Oxford Street is the former home of Harrogate Hub, which no longer needed the space so offered it to Artizan at half the price.
When an anonymous donor heard about this, they stepped in with £200,000 to help Artizan buy the building.
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Juggling the new shop with the charity's existing work has been a huge challenge over the last few months.
The coronavirus lockdown meant all of the craft sessions and tutorials abroad and at home needed to stop or move online.
It also meant all of the Artizan teams in Peru and Ecuador had to stop production. They still have some stock leftover from before the pandemic but Harrogate Scrubbers also stepped in to help fill the shelves.
Artizan plans to open a cafe in the building at the start of next year staffed solely by people with hearing disabilities.
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