Wigan township welcomes new creative hub focusing on mindfulness

Little Shop of Creativity, located on Preston Road in Standish, has been open for six weeks and is already a hit among locals.

Owned by husband and wife Matt and Ren Ellery, it offers a range of art and craft workshops.

Ren is a textile artist and illustrator, as well as being a qualified teacher with experience teaching design technology and art.

She left teaching in 2016 and now has a successful small business called Ren and Thread, creating pet-themed gifts which are sold worldwide through her Etsy and Not On The High Street online stores.

Her products have also been stocked in John Lewis, Next and Paperchase stores across the North West as part of The Curated Makers pop-up stores.

Ren said: “It is a creative space in the centre of Standish where you can come and enjoy art.

"It focuses on mindfulness and relaxing and being together especially after the pandemic.

"We hope to encourage people to socialise more. Maybe you’re not someone who enjoys the pub, so this is somewhere you can come and be with your friends and family.”

The shop offers various activities such as stay-and-paint, sewing and craft workshops along with holiday clubs.

It also has a retail space for UK-based artists to showcase and sell their work.

Ren added: “We have creative clubs on offer for all ages featuring a range of different activities.

"Our sewing clubs will focus more on art and textile-making rather than dress-making.

"We also have activities aimed at more senior local people where they can just drop in, more for the social experience and work their own projects in our space rather than just being at home on their own.

"The retail space will feature designers and makers that I’ve met through social media, who will be selling their creations through us.

"The space will have more of a purpose behind it rather than just selling mass-produced gifts.”

"We’ve had some amazing positive feedback and it’s been a breath of fresh air for Standish.”