Crafts specialists from Derry have urged customers to continue to support local shops as they prepare to celebrate a decade in business this August.
Derry Designer Makers - which is based in the Craft Village - opened in August 2012 as part of a push to help local artists thrive and currently supports over 30 in the North West.
The hidden gem is currently run by a collective of eight members who each take a proactive role in maintaining the store every day.
The one-of-a-kind business offers an eclectic mix of locally handmade items produced by professional designer-makers and artists, including pottery, knit-wearing and more.
However, Maoliosa Bond, who showcases her own oil paintings in-store, said the business had "been hit hard" due to Covid-19.
She said that people remained "hesitate" to return to the city centre and it was continuing to have a "real impact" on businesses within the Craft Village.
"We are an independent shop and because we're all self-employed it means that we were struggling during the pandemic," Maoliosa told MyDerry.
"There was no furlough for us to fall back upon and while you were getting a percentage of your business it generally meant that we were earning very little.
"I think the general public has been scared to enter back into the city centre. We certainly don't have the numbers that we would've had pre-Covid and that means it takes a long time to get up and running.
"We still have businesses within the Craft Village which remain closed and that isn't enticing people to come in and take a look around.
"The running costs for us all continue to go up and that all needs to be paid before the artists take a penny home."
Richard Phelan, who makes his own crafts through woodturning for the craft store, said he decided to join in August 2021 after "years of wanting to do so."
He told MyDerry: "I'm a new member of the shop because I only joined last August and since then it has been pretty vital for me because I would've usually worked through an artisan market group but due to Covid they were shut down completely and Derry Designer Makers was the only outlet I had.
"Derry is renowned for its music and dance but there's so much more that's on offer and our shop gives people the opportunity to showcase their skills and work and that's nice.
"The beauty with these crafts is that most of it was born out of deprivation and people have had to find creative outlets, and being able to do this lets people do what they love while also being able to make a living."
But while the business is in a landmark year, Ms Bond said they've had to question how sustainable the business is every month.
"We need the customers to return back to the town, there's no doubt about that," she said.
"The market had changed now because so many people were buying things online during the pandemic, which means those habits have continued as we try to come out of the pandemic.
"We've had to look at things month after month to see what we could do to sustain the business and we continue to do so.
"January, February and March can be quite lean for any business but especially a shop like ours. We depend heavily on customers coming in and we hold hope soon people will start to return back."
If you'd like to visit Derry Designer Makers you can pop in at No 24 Craft Village on Shipquay Street.
Video by Harry Bateman
