AN eco-friendly, artisan boutique has been showered with praise by its customers for its service during lockdown and beyond.

The Hexham Courant launched a campaign in April with the aim of celebrating businesses going above and beyond, identifying their special efforts by crowing them Trader of the Week.

And this week, we celebrate Alison Smith, of Matthias Winter, who has ensured customers’ needs have been met - albeit in a global pandemic.

Hexham’s Alison opened the doors to Matthias Winter Eco home, on Hallstile Bank, in September 2018.

The former teacher took the plunge into retail after identifying a gap in the market for stylish, design-led, UK and Scandinavian home accessories and gifts.

Since, the shop has diversified, serving as a community hub, prioritising sustainable products and reusable packaging.

As an independent retailer, Alison’s hard work was recognised by Lisa Cable.

She said: “Alison has gone the extra mile during lockdown - she has been doing local deliveries for customers ordering items from her website (sometimes on her electric bike!)

“Although the shop was closed at the beginning of lockdown, she also arranged for customers to pick up any orders, with social distancing being paramount, leaving goods on the doorstep and payment being made over the phone.”

She added: “Over the last two years, Alison has strived to stock environmentally friendly and zero waste products.

“Nine months after opening, she started selling cleaning products, laundry liquid and hair care products in refillable bottles.

“Customers can buy her lovely, amber glass bottles or take their own containers in to refill them - this has been a very complimentary service to add to her foresight of helping the environment.

“Alison is also a drop off point for crisp packets, Pringles tubes and biscuit wrappers.

“She sends them away to be recycled and is given a donation for a charity of her choice- The Pennine Wildlife Trust.”

The shop also acts as a drop off point for Hexham’s Fresh Food Bank, who donate to the West Northumberland Food Bank.

The West Northumberland Food Bank supports families and individuals in Haltwhistle, Hexham and Prudhoe who are experiencing food insecurity or poverty.

Alison has recently been shortlisted as one of four finalists in the ‘Entrepreneur for Good’ category in the North-East region of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, beating 2,600 applicants nationally across 13 categories and eight regions for a top spot.

The North-East finals will be held in September and the national finals will take place in November in London.

The shop is currently open 10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and can be found online at www.matthiaswinter.co.uk