A brand new hub for Merseyside creative talent has opened inside a former restaurant in Liverpool city centre.
Merseymade will now become a home for artists and makers from across the city region, from inside the former Chancery restaurant on Paradise Street.
A new venture, it will feature 10 open studios where resident creatives will make and sell their works, alongside a retail area showcasing works from more than 50 creatives from all over the region.
Visitors to MerseyMade will also have the chance to meet the artists and see them at work in their studios, where they can commission one-off creations.
On top of the studios and retail space, the hub will also feature a café named after the Gordon Smith Seaman’s Institute, which existed at the Grade II Chancery House when it first opened in the late 19th century.
It will also contain an event and meeting space on the mezzanine level, which will hold a regular programme of courses and workshops.
Vicky Gawith, director and founder of MerseyMade, said: “MerseyMade will give Liverpool a new and exciting retail space where people can come and buy many wonderful items, from handmade jewellery and art to clothing and gin and a lot more in between.
“In supporting MerseyMade, people will know that when they make a purchase they will be directly helping someone in their own community.
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"We believe it’s a fantastic platform for local sellers to increase their visibility and showcase their talent to their own local people and really support the ‘Shop Local’ initiative with as few barriers as possible. This local and community ethos is at the heart of what we are doing.”
Jenny Dunlop is also part of the initiative as creative and retail manager.
She said: “It’s the potential for collaboration that’s so exciting. MerseyMade is the coming together of creative entrepreneurs in a stimulating, supportive and positive environment, inspiring one another, learning, growing and developing professionally together while benefiting from the MerseyMade brand.
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“As a working artist myself, who has regularly exhibited and sold my work through local art markets and events, I am often asked whether my art is available to buy from a permanent base, such as a gallery or a shop – now it will be.”
The Gordon Smith café is managed by Emma Johnston, a former manager in a busy high street chain, who is also a textile artist and greetings card designer, and whose work is also stocked in the shop.
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She said: “In the café we have sourced as much as possible to be provided from within a 50 mile radius of the shop, from the coffee and tea right the way through to the food ingredients and the tableware.”
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The menu which is created by kitchen manager Yasmin Limbert reflects the culture of Liverpool.
Yasmin, a former Great British Bake Off quarter-finalist and Women’s Institute Cook of The Year, said: “Liverpool has an impressive foodie scene and a cool edginess unlike anywhere else.
"I plan to offer an interesting menu using locally sourced ingredients, some Liverpool favourites as well as dishes inspired by the city’s eclectic community which will celebrate the best that Liverpool has to offer.”