CRAFTING A NEW BUSINESS OUT OF OLD BUILDINGS

More people have taken up crafting since the beginning of the pandemic and it’s estimated that there are now more than 19 million crafters in the UK.

And the number of crafting businesses has increased too. If BBC Dragon Sara Davies can become a multi-millionaire on the back of her hugely successful Crafters Companion business, then opportunity knocks for other aspirational crafting businesses.

The Maker Space in Nuffield, near Henleyon-Thames, which opened in 2021, is making the most of the increased interest.

Formerly a pub – The Crown – it was a 300-year-old listed building which had lain empty for eight years.

In the middle of the pandemic, Maker Space founders Jon Doughty and Kay Surman (who had left the corporate world of consumer products and licensing to follow her life-long passion for crafts).

bought the former 17th century pub building near Henley-on-Thames invested, refurbished and brought it back to life as The Maker Space.

It’s now a craft workshop and licensed café and welcomed TV personality Sarah Beeny this year when she visited for her new Country Lives series on Channel 4.

Country Lives followed Jon and Kay’s journey as they worked on the restoration.

Jon said: “Reimagining the derelict pub and starting the business itself has been a creative project, and we are delighted to be able to share some of that through the new series. It was a wonderful experience being involved in the show and we can’t wait to share some of our creative journey.”

The Maker Space hosts classes, socials, and multi-day courses covering various crafts including silversmithing, crochet, sewing, quilting, mosaics, printmaking and woodcarving. It has workrooms, a craft store, and café.

Kay said: “Our goal with The Maker Space was always to create a community hub that allowed space for creativity and made crafts more accessible. There can be so many positive benefits to crafting, especially in a social setting. We want to be able to introduce people to crafts, provide a resource and give people the opportunity to create and build community too.''