New facility is based in the former Paradise Street restaurant, The Chancery, near Liverpool One, and will offer open studios and retail space
A new hub for Merseyside’s creative talent has opened its doors in Liverpool city centre.
MerseyMade, in the former Paradise Street restaurant, The Chancery, near Liverpool One, will now be a home for artists and makers from across the city region. It will feature 10 open studios where resident creatives will make and sell their works.
There will also be 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 Grade II Chancery House when it first opened in the late 19th century.
An event and meeting space, available to hire, is also featured on the mezzanine level and will feature 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. We believe it’s a fantastic platform for local sellers to increase their visibility and showcase their talent to their own local people.”
Jenny Dunlop is also part of the initiative as creative and retail manager and is a successful artist in her own right. She added: “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.”