Name: Della Roberts

Business name: Craft Bug and Bee Unique

Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am until 4pm (shorter hours temporarily)

When did you open your business and why?

We OPENED in August 2011. The shop was already there and the previous owners were retiring. I had already been working for them doing shows and different things. Me and my then husband bought the shop and opened it up as the craft shop.

Why in this location?

I LOVE Chirk, I was born and bred here and used to work in the post office here when I was younger. I love the place and the people here. The community spirit, especially over the past year in particular, has been very clear to see.

Tell us about your business

It STARTED off just being paper crafts because that’s what it was before I took over. If you wanted to get into making birthday cards and Christmas cards, anything like that, we have everything you need.

About nine months ago, because the shop is big enough, I decided to branch out and start selling unique gifts, which is the part we now call Bee Unique.

We started off with Gothic-themed things, and I will buy in individual gifts, and once they’re gone, I probably won’t get another one the same in for a while.

Nothing is stale, we always keep changing it around on a regular basis.

I do hold workshops once a month which is lovely for people wanting to learn different craft-related things. It’s a good way for them to make friends – with the Wednesday club I do an afternoon and an evening club, and it’s really well-received.

There aren’t too many places in and around Chirk which offer classes like we do – obviously at the moment it’s a bit difficult with the lockdown restrictions.

We have a wide variety of customers because we sell a variety of products. We have people visiting from as far as Droitwich because they love the shop here. A lady from Runcorn often visits.

These are often people from craft shows I have met over the years and they come down to see me and take a look around the shop.We do have regulars and before the lockdown people would come in and stay for a tea or a coffee – I always want the shop to be friendly.

Sometimes we have customers asking for things we might not sell but if they don’t have access to the internet, I will order it to the shop for them and keep it for them until they next visit.

What is your proudest moment?

THE proudest thing for me is still having a business here nine years on from when I started.

When you start something up in business, you never know how it’s going to go.

Yes I was proud when I started all of this up, but I’m prouder now that nine years down the line I am still here.

Also, two years ago, I won the Crafts Beautiful Best Independent Craft Shop in Wales award which is something I am proud of.

Any strange requests?

Because a lot of people sometimes don’t actually know what it is we sell, I have had people coming in and asking for all sorts of things.

We have been asked for wine glasses and all sorts, but nothing stands out as strange.