LEADING craft supplier, Crafter’s Companion welcomed hundreds of visitors to the opening of its first UK store in Newton Aycliffe over the bank holiday weekend.
Crafters from all over the country attended the launch of the company’s flagship store, which is the first of its kind in the UK.
The store, which opened to the public on Friday 27th May following a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Deputy Mayor of Newton Aycliffe, Cllr Michael Dalton, is set to become a destination for avid crafters, as well as those who are interested in trying their hand at the hobby for the first time.
Throughout the weekend, visitors were able to enjoy a number of demonstrations and take part in ‘make and take’ sessions led by the talented Crafter’s Companion team. Some of the brands TV stars, such as Debbie Shore and Leann Chivers, also travelled to the region to run demonstrations and crafting sessions.
Sara Davies, founder of Crafter’s Companion said: “The support we’ve received not only from crafters but the wider community has been absolutely amazing.
“The launch weekend went so incredibly well, there were people in the store from start to finish and all of the feedback we received was brilliant.
“We’ve put so much hard work into making the store a success so it’s been great to see people enjoying themselves and really getting involved with the activities.
“We can’t thank everybody enough for all their support.”
The new store, which is the result of a £500k investment by the company, includes several themed shopping areas such as haberdashery, sewing, home décor, arts and papercraft, a coffee shop, two dedicated demonstration areas and a central hub for workshops and group sessions.
Located next to the company’s new corporate headquarters at Aycliffe Business Park, the store will be open to the public on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am until 7pm, on Tuesday from 10am until 8pm, on Friday and Saturday from 10am until 5pm and on Sunday from 10am until 4pm.
There will also be regular workshops available for booking.
Crafter’s Companion, which was founded by Sara in 2005, specialises in manufacturing and distributing crafting tools and products, which are also sold online via its website, on TV shopping channels across the world and by independent retailers.
For more information, visit www.crafterscompanion.co.uk.