Business that houses 50 crafters at garden centre looks forward to busy festive season packed with workshops
An innovative business that houses 50 crafters at a Northamptonshire garden centre looks forward to a busy festive season packed with workshops and activities.
The Shack, which opened at Woodmeadow Garden Centre in March 2024, began with 31 traders and has continued to increase its capacity.
The venture was founded by Karen Akhtar, who wanted to give independent crafters the opportunity to rent a space and sell their goods from The Shack.
Karen ran a stall called The Little Magic Room but wanted somewhere she could work from one place. When she found out the space at the garden centre was available, The Shack was born.
The shop has always been bursting at the seams and Karen assures customers they will never see the same thing twice, making for a quirky experience.
The aim was, and still is, for The Shack to become the go-to location for people to purchase gifts of all kinds, as well as creating a welcoming place to be.
The business has come out the other side of a busy couple of months, having expanded into the shop next door and opened the doors to the public during the summer. One half is now home to the original crafts and the other for gifts, which has been curated by Karen.
Following the successful expansion, Karen says they are looking forward to a busy November with lots of workshops and activities planned.
This includes a Christmas wreath-making workshop from 12pm until 2pm on Sunday, November 29 and costs £40 per person, with all the materials supplied.
JM Creative Crafts is hosting a workshop to make a Christmas mouse on Friday, November 27 from 10am until 1pm. This also costs £40 per person, with everything you need provided and mince pies will be served.
To round off that jam-packed weekend is an acrylic painting workshop by Still Garden Studio on Saturday, November 28 from 12.30pm until 2.30pm. This will be relaxed and beginner-friendly, with all the materials provided for £25 per person.
Children aged six and above are invited to come along and make their own Christmas wreath to take home. These hour-long workshops are taking place three Tuesdays in a row on November 10, 17 and 23, and all materials are included for £10 per child.
Dogs and their owners are welcome to meet Mrs Santa Paws, and each 10-minute slot is priced at £10 per dog. This includes a photo opportunity, a dog toy to take home and a puppuccino to enjoy. This is taking place three Sundays in a row from 11am until 2.30pm on November 15, 22 and 29.
Tickets for The Shack’s Christmas meat raffle are now on sale and the draw is taking place on Sunday, December 7. The top three prizes are vouchers for The Butcher’s Block of the values of £50, £25 and £10.
As well as the new section of the shop being full of Christmas gifts and cards, The Shack is offering a service where they take a selection of crafts and gifts to set up in someone’s home for purchases to be made. This is ideal for those who are less-abled or bedbound.
“This gives residents the joy of buying their own gifts and cards, as well as us spreading joy,” said Karen. “We are also happy to do this on a regular monthly basis at no cost to the home. We want to let residents enjoy the fun, remain independent and promote our crafters, who produce very well-priced and unique items.”