Hunting For Indie Craft Shops in Leeds

Dawn Griffin from Original Bob goes hunting for Crafty Indie Shops in Leeds City Centre …

I had two hours, -well one hour thirty eight minutes to be more exact – to hot shoe it around Leeds to hunt out crafty indie shops.

I left the station and headed down Bishop Gate towards Granary Wharf, I was already on a trip down memory lane. As a teenager I would head to the Wharf arches (the dark arches) to the numerous little stalls that used to be there. The smell of the river, dank and different from the rest of the Leeds. distracted me off course and I thought I’d have a quick check just to see if the space had been filled again. The dampness hits you as soon as you turn the corner and enter an exciting world of historic Leeds with the “weak bridge” inviting you across to the main hub.

Its always with a slight amount of trepidation that you cross that bridge just in case its weakness is so great that you tumble into today’s fast flowing river Aire – we’ve had a lot of rain, in case you’ve missed that. It must be about twenty five years since I scuttled around those stalls checking out the silk scarves, glass earring stalls and admiring exotic oddments that had come from far away places. I was having a Mr. Ben moment but disappointedly all the arches were filled up with vehicles. All that space is now car parking.

I dashed through towards Sovereign Street, now styled The West Waterfront. As a child I would go to the Queens Hall for craft market days and flea markets (now renamed as vintage markets). The space that this magnificent building once occupied is now….guess what? The Queen’s Hall car park.

I headed up beyond Blayd’s yard admiring a blue plaque dedicated to E. J Arnold and Son Ltd. on Lower Briggate, I wove through Hirst’s Yard to Call Lane, eyes darting looking for the elusive craft indie shops.

I come across the Corn Exchange and a vintage fayre in full swing. I take five minutes to have a quick gander, just in case something needs to come home with me. I think there are more shops in there that I’d love to explore but due to the fayre the place is rammed and getting around would take too long. I note to myself , the Corn Exchange deserves it’s own one hour thirty eight minutes. Then I’m off again down Kirkgate, glancing sadly at the now closed down Birds Yard. I would have gone in there for sure.

I nip towards Munro House and the Gallery and head into Colours May Vary to clock a few prints that I would like and check out their magazines, looking for local talent and seeing if there are any clues to more crafty indie shops.

I’ve now got about forty five minutes left. So not to be disappointed I head towards Hand -Picked Hall in the grand Grand Arcade. I turn into a side street off East gate towards Templar Lane and what’s happened to Leeds’ China town? Where has it gone, all the restaurants and little shops have disappeared, now boarded up and depressing looking.

As I plough forwards, two girls approach me looking for Leeds Centre, heading in the wrong direction. I find out they are on a visit from Liverpool and are loving Leeds but their navigation app as failed them and they are entering town’s twilight zone. As we walk back towards the Headrow I point them back to Briggate and the Victoria Quarter.

As I approached the Arcade I notice something is different. The downstairs shops have gone and the hairdressers has taken up the whole space. Noooo they can’t be gone! I investigate inside and find out they are going through a remodelling and as they point out, going up in the world, moving upstairs. I am greeted by two ladies, all smiles as I open the door. I was feeling slightly apprehensive in case it was empty upstairs and I hello back. I’m not disappointed and manage to spend at least thirty five minutes wandering around the stalls and looking at the crafty side of Leeds. There are some great hand-made items and unusual cards on offer but my mission is not to go in depth what’s on sale, just to find the shops in the first place.

So in the time I had I managed to find one outlet that I knew already. I am also aware of Fabrication in the Light which is also an indie outlet made up of over fifty artists and designers, well worth a visit for unique hand-made items. Obviously, there is the Craft and Design Gallery under the museum – I am a huge fan.

As a maker I am keen to meet other makers /crafters and consider anyone that takes this path as a conspirator in our fight against mass production. As well as enjoying making and creating items my mission today was to find other craft/indie maker shops in Leeds City centre. I appreciate that I was limited in my time and got slightly distracted by bygone crafty scenes. However in just a short time, I enjoyed a vintage fayre, spent time at a print exhibition, admired parts of historic Leeds I’d not visited for ages and window shopped. I don’t believe my mission is over, this is just the beginning. Since writing this piece I have been inspired to continue to research the Indie craft scene in Leeds.