Lore of Hexham opens on Market Street

Laura and her husband Steven Brownsteele opened Obscuria on December 28, 2023 on Market Street in Hexham, as a pottery studio, alternative homeware store, and gift shop.

Inside Lore of Hexham (Image: Natalie Finnigan)

They opened a new shop directly opposite Obscuria's pottery studio, named Lore on July 26, to allow space for both ventures to grow.

Lore is dog-friendly and has a 'doggy hall of fame' which features a photo of every dog that visits the shop. 

Lore sells a range of folklore-based products (Image: Natalie Finnigan)

Laura said: "We knew the shop over the road was coming up for rent, so we talked to the man who owns the building about moving the shop in there so we had more space for the shop and more for the studio so that we could do more in the studio.

READ MORE: Inside the homeware shop celebrating the 'strange and unusual'

"What was Obscuria's shop is now Lore of Hexham. It's a folklore-based homeware store, so it sells different homeware, from teapots, cushions, artworks and throws, all based around different types of local folklore."

Lore has opened opposite Obscuria on Market Street (Image: Natalie Finnigan)

She explained the atmosphere of the shop is focused on folklore, such as the tradition of passing down information and living seasonally, which work their way into the products stocked.

Facing the pottery studio (Image: Natalie Finnigan)

"We tie in other bits of folklore, so there's game folklore and story folklore, such as a recipe book from the world of Tolkien. We didn't really have the space to do that in Obscuria so it's nice to do that over there."

They plan to offer various workshops, book readings and movie nights in the shop's basement once it is set up.

The typewriter where people can write their own piece of folklore and the best one will be featured on Instagram every month (Image: Natalie Finnigan)

Lore has a typewriter where Laura said customers can write a piece of folklore and the best one will be chosen monthly to be featured on Instagram.

"We want it to be a warm, welcoming space for people to spend some time and enjoy." 

People can play checkers and chess (Image: Natalie Finnigan)

Obscuria's pottery studio is still open and is being run as Pottery Club, a community studio for people looking to develop their skills in pottery or keep practising the art. 

Obscuria's pottery space hosts workshops and Pottery Club (Image: Natalie Finnigan)

"There will be workshops going on but it will also be a space for people to be creative," Laura said. 

Lore is open seven days a week while Obscuria opens for workshops or is available every day for Pottery Club.

For more information on booking a pottery workshop or using Obscuria as a private studio space, go to https://obscuria.co.uk/.