Name: Sarah Wright

Business name: Under One Roof

Opening hours: Monday from 10am until 5pm, Tuesday closed to public but open for private shopping (see tell us about your business), Wednesday and Thursday from 9.30am until 5pm, Friday 10am until 6.30pm, Saturday from 10am until 4pm, Sunday 11am until 3pm

Address: 1 Beatrice Street, Oswestry

When did you open your business and why?

We OPENED on November 4, one day before Lockdown Two happened.

It is joined to Urban B Limited in Ellesmere, where we create concrete furniture and plantpots, so we wanted to open a shop but we didn’t really have enough to fill the shop by ourselves, so we opened it up as a collaborative.

We are now a collaborative of 25 local artists who all put their work into the same shop and we just take a small commission on what they sell.

We wanted to offer retail space to other artists like ourselves who have small businesses in the area, which don’t want the risk of having a shop to themselves or the costs of rent and utility costs etc. It made sense to share the space which is situated in a good retail location.

Why in this location?

We’re all local to Oswestry and it’s a town which is really good and has a lot of creative people around. Everyone tries to support each other, and I’ve found that having a base in Oswestry is something which has been really well-supported. A lot of people have been getting behind us which is nice.

Tell us about your business

Under One Roof is a collaborative of artists within around a 25-mile radius of Oswestry. Everything we offer is very unique and individual, and is often handmade.

We have a real mix of products from baby and kids clothing, homeware, candles, lampshades, a lady doing bags and a print company among others.

We offer concrete pots with plants, wall-planters and unique artwork, and have a small section of jams and chocolates too.

That’s where the name Under One Roof comes from, because there is a little bit for everyone here.

A lot of people come in and enjoy doing a lot of their Christmas shopping here we have found.

It also allows creators to have a platform for their work too.

Customers love the idea of what we’re doing, especially after the push this year to buy local more than ever before – people know when they shop here that they’re supporting a lot of local people.

We’re offering private shopping on a Tuesday morning at the moment, which is a free 30-minute time slot people can book, with no purchase necessary. We did it because there is a lot of people shielding at the moment that would love to come and do some Christmas shopping, but because of the risk they’re not allowed, so we’re offering these timeslots so people can come with a loved one to shop safely. If there is the necessary demand, we will look at having private sessions in the afternoon too.

What is your proudest moment?

I THINK because we did all the refurbishment works ourselves, I think our grand opening was a very proud moment, even though there was a bit of sadness because we knew we’d have to close the following day for lockdown.

The mayor opened the shop and we had a queue outside and it just made it feel as though our hard work had paid off. It’s nice to hear people talking about the shop and how they enjoy coming here.

Any strange requests?

Someone asked me to dance once, but other than that, nothing too strange!