Hawthorn Contemporary Arts and Craft, based in Blandford Forum, Dorset is set to launch its online shop in September. Since opening in August 2010, Hawthorn owner Stephanie Carswell has been busy planning the second stage of the business, designed to offer a hand picked selection of contemporary crafts online, from local makers and emerging artists including many items which are not currently available elsewhere.
Stephanie is committed to supporting local crafts, with 70% of the work on show coming from within 50 miles of the shop, both reducing Hawthorn’s impact on the environment and ensuring the work of local artists and makers is presented in the environment that inspired it. All the pieces on offer are handmade, from stunning blown glass jewellery from new local designer Abigail Stradling, to upcycled handbags made from vintage cloths by Les Sacs Magique. The online shop will offer both a selection of what is in Hawthorn and items exclusive to online buyers.
Stephanie sources work in many ways including scouring Etsy and Folksy and attending trade and graduate shows to find new designers; and she always finds work of incredibly high quality and with such imagination. She said “The handmade industry is growing incredibly fast now, garnering the support of big retail names such as Mary Portas, and it is breaking out of the stuffy old fashioned image that has plagued it. Hawthorn is here to deliver a slice of this refreshing handmade world to the local high street and with the online shop we aim to bring the stunning variety of handmade work available in the region to the whole of the UK as well as providing an online selling platform for emerging craft designers and graduates.”
A visit to Hawthorn promises high quality jewellery, ceramics, textiles, glass, metal and wood work. There’s nothing mass produced in the shop so customers are guaranteed a unique shopping experience. Hawthorn also sells handmade cards, prints and stunning photography of Dorset and the South West from local photographer Paul Haynes. The online shop will be launched later in September at www.hawthorncraft.co.uk and you can sign up to the mailing list for further updates.
