Q: Is your café open?
A: We now have a pop-up café, run by the fabulous Fuelled by Caffeine, who also have a coffee concession just outside our courtyard. You can sit inside on our comfy sofas or out on our terrace (it’s lovely when it’s sunny!)

Q: What are the opening hours of the pop-up café?
A: 10am - 4:30pm

Q: Are dogs allowed?
A: Dogs are welcome on the terrace but, unfortunately, not in the inside seating area of the café. Dogs are allowed in our galleries and shop.

Q: What days are you open?
A: Our shop and galleries are open Tue - Sat, 10am - 5pm. On rare occasions, we will open on Sundays but you should always check our website for up-to-date opening hours, before visiting us.

Q: Are dogs allowed?
A: Dogs are very welcome in our galleries and shop.

Q: Why are you no longer open 7 days a week?
A: We had to reduce our shop and gallery opening hours due to staffing and resource constraints, following on from covid and its associated lockdowns. Opening fewer days to the public allows us to update our stock, support our makers and work on our education projects which has been really beneficial to rebuilding the strength of the organisation. The best place to keep up to date with our current opening hours is always our website.

Q: Do you have a car park?
A: No. The car park directly outside our building belongs to our neighbours, the Co-op. There are 2 public Pay & Display car parks within 2-minute walking distance from us.

Q: Do we have to pay to visit?
A: No! Entry to our galleries is absolutely free! Though, we will always welcome a donation to further our craft education charity projects and support our makers.

Q: Is all your stock available online?
A: We do have an online shop, but it doesn’t have the wide range of craft that we offer instore. This is because some of our stock will not lend itself well for posting. We look at this regularly though and we add new stock to our online shop all the time.

Q: I’ve seen something on the online shop but it’s ‘out of sock’, what can I do?
A: If you have fallen in love with an item online that is ‘out of stock’, it is always worth getting in touch to see what we can do. We are in regular contact with all of our makers and we can often order something in for you, or ask them to make you one to commission. Please remember that all of our items are handmade and unique so they may not look exactly like the original you saw online.

Q: I am a maker, can I sell stock in your shop?
A: Generally, we only stock the work of our Maker Members in our shop (it is one of the many benefits of being part of the membership). However, we do have a regular ‘featured maker’ slot, which enables us to promote and support small batch makers from across the UK. Everything we sell in our shop is handmade or printed in the UK.

Q: Why are your prices so high?
A: We aim to provide a range of craft for a range of budgets. The only downside with beautiful handmade craft is that it can sometimes have a higher cost associated. The prices for each work is set by the maker and not by MAKE Southwest. The price reflects the amount of time and effort that goes into each piece. If you would like to know more about the costs associated with handmaking craft, or generally more about the processes, get in touch!

Q: Are your galleries accessible?
A: All of our (3) galleries are located on the ground floor of our building and are wheelchair accessible.

Q: What is a Maker Member?
A: MAKE Southwest is not only a gallery space exhibiting and selling contemporary craft and design work, or a craft education provider, but we are a membership organisation too! We represent craftspeople from all over the Southwest, providing them with creative support via networking events and CPD sessions alongside selling and exhibiting opportunities. Makers who are part of our prestigious membership are known as our Maker Members.

Q: How many Maker Members does MAKE Southwest have?
A: We have an approximate membership size of just over 250 makers. This is a fluctuating figure as we have new members joining all the time.

Q: I am a maker and would like to join your membership, how do I apply?
A: We have 3 opportunities to apply each year. Generally, selection meetings will be held in January, May and September. You can always find the next application deadline and selection meeting date on our Join Us page.

Q: How are successful members selected?
A: Applications for membership to MAKE Southwest are considered by a Selection Committee, drawn from the existing membership and 1 independent. Selection Committee members hold a broad knowledge and interest across all craft disciplines, as well as being known/respected in their own field. More information about applying for membership can be found on our Join Us page.

Q: Can you put us in touch with a maker?
A: Yes. We ask all of our Maker Members for their permission to give out their contact details / to confirm how they wish to be contacted (phone or email). If a Maker Member does not want us to distribute their contact details we must respect that, but we can get in touch on your behalf and pass on your contact details to the maker instead.

Q: I am a maker and would like to run a workshop with MAKE Southwest, who should I contact?
A: Please email hello@makesouthwest.org.uk and we’ll make sure it gets through to the right person!

Q: What is the best way to get in touch with MAKE Southwest?
A: You can email us anytime at hello@makesouthwest.org.uk, or you can call 01626 832223 (Tue - Sat).

Q: Is MAKE Southwest a charity?
A: Yes! We are a registered UK charity (charity number 296568). Any profits we make gets fed straight back into the organisation to keep the exhibitions free for all and provide craft education outreach and community workshops.

Q: Who owns MAKE Southwest?
A: As a charity, MAKE Southwest isn’t owned by any one person, instead it is governed by a Board of Trustees.

Q: I would like to find out more about MAKE Southwest’s charitable aims, who can I contact?
A: Please email our CEO, Laura Wasley (laura@makesouthwest.org.uk) who can answer your questions or put you in contact with one of our Trustees!