THE RESTORE Yorkshire Street Morecambe

THE RE STORE 
The vision came years ago as these things do. We had been running INNOVATE art group at West End Impact for quite a few years and started to dream. What if we could help people on a personal development path through art. We had already seen people who were homeless, just come out of prison and suffering from depression express themselves in very meaningful ways through creativity drawing and painting. We realised it was part of a healing process that could not be expressed any other way! Additionally people gain confidence, learn new skills and build up their self esteem. The RE STORE to our surprise has been everything we dreamed and more. Not only is it a high end hand-made art gallery and gift shop it is also a place where people are re-building their lives through creativity. 


People are also given retail experience and training in how to do merchandising and display work. Some long term unemployed clients are sent to us from Job Centre Plus on placement, to help them become more employable. Vulnerable people often need a more 'sheltered' employment to get them back into a working environment. This helps them to build confidence and learn the skills they need without the pressure. It is a big part of our charity to help people who for various reasons are long term unemployed. THE RE STORE has helped around 8 people so far. When people find they have a purpose again and also have responsibility they soon start to see what is possible instead of feeling they are unable to contribute in any way. This is life changing.

We have an ethos of excellence at West End Impact and this run through everything we do, It is obvious that all that happens at the RE STORE is done to a high standard. We want to bring up the standard of what has become a very run down shopping area. Many of the shops are now empty because retail has to re-invent itself. People generally shop in supermarkets these days but #buylocal #hand-made and #ethically aware shops are finding their place again. In London, Brighton, Hull and in many more places in the country, streets that used to be vibrant, and have now lost their way are coming back to life and being transformed. The new 'Maker' industry is being re-birthed. People no longer want to buy cheap that doesn't last, because it is short sighted. Instead the customer is deciding to buy something that is well made, with love, by someone who puts their heart and soul into a product. It's worth paying that extra money for something that will last. Just months after THE RE STORE opened TEXTILES CANDY joined us on Yorkshire Street Morecambe, selling ethically sourced hand-made jewelry. The aim in the next few months is to get a small grant to do 2-3 more shops up and encourage makers to take that step into the unknown and shop share. This lowers the risk and builds a community of more makers along the street. For more detail about the RE STORE find us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/www.westendimpact.org.uk/ We also have an Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/THERESTOREONLINE?ref=search_shop_redirect where you can buy most of our products direct. If you are a maker and are interested in shop sharing its a great way of starting your business. Give us a call on 07849 224976