New arts and crafts shop opens in Northamptonshire village

Pauline Wallace started the business last year from home as a hobby.

But after a space became available in Fern and Fable – a new plant shop in the village – the wheels were set in motion and on July 5 Craft Bloom Design opened its doors.

The shop in School Road is stocked with unique designs from both Pauline herself and other crafters from the local area, ranging from homeware to wall art and more.

Being a spot where the community’s creativity can shine through, items sold at the shop ‘have to be made with love’, as its owners are keen to harness a space which is full of one-off, charming gifts and creations.

Speaking on the opening, Pauline said: “It was slow and steady, but a lot of networking. A lot of locals hadn’t realised it had changed from a salon to this so hopefully we can spread the word.

“We are very excited to see how the next few weeks will go and looking forward to the workshops.

“Customers are coming in but they’re coming through and looking at both, so being in Fern and Fable is a real positive.

“With arts and crafts it’s a saturated market, but we’re trying to make it slightly different. I want to be unique.”

Louise Hall opened Fern and Fable in November 2024, and is continuing to find its footing in the village, with Craft Bloom Design going a long way to helping expand its offerings.

Craft Bloom Design is planning to work alongside Fern and Fable by providing a series of workshops throughout the year such as gardening, painting plant pots, designing mugs, decorating cupcakes, and a party on August 9 to raise awareness for breast cancer, a cause that is near to Pauline and Louise’s heart.

Louise, owner of Fern and Fable, added: “We’ve got so much going on.

“We want to bring people together. So many people have come in and said ‘when are you doing the workshops?’, it’s so that they can come in, know they’ll be meeting other people and hopefully make friends from it.

“We’re doing things together and helping each other.”