A LIFESTYLE business said it has had 'amazingly positive' support from the community since opening.
Grace & Purpose in Hexham opened on June 15 at 13 Battle Hill, in the former Artful shop, by co-owners Laura Jackson and her partner, Pete.
The couple, who live in Tynemouth, also own Tynemouth-based businesses Cook & Baker, an independent deli, and home and gift store Wild at Heart.
Grace & Purpose stocks gift cards, notebooks, lighting and accessories.
Laura said they opened Grace & Purpose in Hexham as they had 'always loved' the town and added they want to relocate to Hexham in future.
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"I just think it's got so much potential," she said. "When we visited during Covid there was so much empty property and we thought we could open here and give something back.
"This shop had everything I looked for which my original shops don't have - it's got elevated windows, original features and space to grow, so we will be looking at opening the upstairs to increase the retail space," she said.
"We always strive to find things everyone doesn't have or you won't find two doors down. People have been amazingly positive so far. I was astounded by how often people say to me on a daily basis 'this is what Hexham needs', 'Hexham needs more shops'. We've had amazing community support."
Grace & Purpose stocks 'quite a lot of Dutch brands' Laura said.
"Although it's lovely to have things which are UK-made, they're not always at the price point people are willing to pay. We've got the ethos that we don't just love local, we love the one world as a collective. We don't focus on the UK or a particular region.
"We don't want to replicate a high street store, we're always on the lookout for something different," she added.
Laura said some of their most popular items are their reed diffusers from Australian business Peppermint Grove.
The store's opening hours are 10am until 4pm Monday to Saturday.
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