Fabrication: Leeds creative enterprise to quadruple

A social enterprise collective of independent creative businesses is set to quadruple its operation as part of plans to re-locate.
SHOWCASE: The Fabrication Crafts shop in The Light is a showcase of locally-made wares.SHOWCASE: The Fabrication Crafts shop in The Light is a showcase of locally-made wares.
SHOWCASE: The Fabrication Crafts shop in The Light is a showcase of locally-made wares.

The lease on the Fabrication Crafts shop in The Light ceases at the end of the month after six years so the organisation has set up a crowdfunding appeal in the hope of obtaining resources to help fund two phases of its future project.

Phase one will be to fit out the new premises with utilities and building works while the second stage would see a community cafe, rehearsal and popup space in the heart of Leeds city centre.

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It would allow for 400 micro-craft businesses and the likes of entrepreneurs, graduates and one man bands to expand and research business ideas.

For example, they could have a stall, rent a sewing machine for an hour or exhibit artwork.

Fabrication Crafts has set a target of £8,000 and the appeal is open until August 29.

Dawn Wood said: “Our lease runs out at the end of August and we have to be out by the bank holiday.

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“Ideally we will get somewhere straight away unless we can get pop-ups while work is being done but we want to be sorted by October so we can take advantage of Christmas sales as that sets us up for the rest of the following year.

“A lot of our traders have given up full-time jobs to do this and some have gone on to open their own shops. It is about the people as much as anything else.

“In order to grow as a business we need bigger and better premises and this seems like an ideal time to do this.

“It would be a major space and a proper independent hub.”