Last year was a good year for Natasha Harris, owner of contemporary arts and crafts gallery The Stalls in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. This year, she intends to be even better.
“2010 was a good start for us as we established The Stalls as a gallery space and shop,” she says. “But in 2011 we are concentrating more on marketing to really push The Stalls’ position as an arts & crafts hub in Harrogate.”
The Stalls now boasts over 45 labels encompassing fashion accessories, jewellery, ceramics, art, photography, textiles, homewares, lighting and vintage fashion. While this sounds like quite a treasure trove for a relatively small space, Natasha has merchandised each designer’s work carefully so that customers have a great snapshot of each range and the overall offer is complimentary.
Popular ranges include the likes of Leigh Shepherd’s brooches made from old draughts and domino pieces, George & Lily’s handmade felt gifts and quirky items by Zinc White including their up-cycled cufflinks made from1930s typewriter keys.
At the outset Natasha initially sourced designers to take part in The Stalls Arts & Crafts Fairs but she is now in the fortunate position where designers beat a path to her door. Her criterion for inclusion in the store has always been “quirky and individual,” she says. “I want to revamp the craft scene and help to shake off its twee connotations and make it more urban and up-market to appeal to a different audience of consumers.”
She describes The Stalls as an “urban gallery” but without the sometimes intimidating and pretentious feel that some traditional galleries can have. Indeed, The Stalls has been infused with the same ethos Natasha has given to her career in crafts over the last decade; essentially that craft must always be affordable and accessible.
Her background as a producer and marketer of her own handmade retro and vintage inspired accessories has stood her in good stead. She also began designing and organising arts and craft fairs in 2009, mainly in the West Yorkshire region, at venues such as Victoria Hall in Saltaire and Leeds Town Hall. It is this combined business savvy and creative flair that she has applied to great effect at The Stalls.
The shop is also a base for OOBBAA, a not-for-profit organisation set up by Natasha in 2006 to help promote designer-makers. As a social enterprise, The Stalls is therefore a haven for fledgling designers, where they can incubate their talents and gain that all-important first step towards becoming an established name as Natasha explains.
“I support new emerging and established artists and designers with an opportunity to sell and showcase their wares at an affordable price. I provide business advice to makers and a support network to likeminded people. The Stalls may sometimes be a starting point for makers but I am keen to see designers progress with their ranges as I suggest other stores and stockists for them. I’m always handing out business cards to customers so that they can contact a designer who interests them.”
“We don’t receive much funding,” she admits “especially considering we are a community based organisation. It’s a shame because smaller organisations need a lot of help. But it’s still very rewarding to work with new designers and help them to grow.”
Natasha is determined to continue championing the crafts and building upon the foundations she’s laid with The Stalls, which is remarkably still the only contemporary craft gallery in Harrogate.
“From the reaction we’ve had to The Stalls in the past year and more recently to our workshops, I think it’s obvious that Harrogate has been crying out for something like this,” believes Natasha. “Adult Education courses can sometimes price people out of creative learning or aren’t as convenient as a half day, one-off taster session. I think learning, like craft, should be affordable and accessible to everyone too.”
Natasha dipped her toe in the water with two workshops held in the shop, late last year; felting and rag-rug making. Both classes were a resounding success and there is now a waiting list of 50 for the 2011 programme. Recently she has reorganised the layout of the shop to allow for a dedicated space where workshops can take place, fitting six people comfortably per session.
As part of her marketing plans for this year, she will also be running bijoux art and craft stalls outside the shop based around seasonal events such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. This ‘street-vending’ style of marketing helps to open up the business to passers-by who may not automatically consider an arts and crafts shop. It also has a lovely vibe, according to Natasha, during the summer months when people like to shop outdoors.
Other plans for the future are even more ambitious. “I want to reinvent the art and craft fair,” she declares “and I’ve been researching into what it is that could make craft fairs different and more interesting for visitors. I also want to increase ways to help our designers network more at our events. And, one day, I’d like to open a second shop in Leeds and make it a massive northern hub for all designer/makers.”
The Stalls, 3a Bower Street, Harrogate, HG1 5BQ. For more information, contact Natasha Harris atnatasha.joe@hotmail.co.uk or call 0780 576 9533.
Written by Kathryn Sharman, Freelance Journalist and Copywriter, Katsharman@gmail.com
