After more than a year and a few false starts a shop in Helston is finally about to open its doors this week.

Glazed Expression in Meneage Street will host small scale workshops for people to learn the basics of clay, and also be a place for local crafters to sell their work alongside the owners.

Ceramicists Ady Barker and Tess Collett bought the former Hells Gates tattoo and piercing building last year, with the intention of renovating it into a shop and studio downstairs and living in the flat above.

Tess said: "We intended the shop to be a social creative space and gallery for people to come and be creative and buy beautiful ceramics."

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit mid-renovation, affecting suppliers and trades.

The couple have since been finishing much of the renovations themselves, whilst creating items for their website, and have invited other artists to exhibit their work until they are able to open as a social space.

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Tess added: "We are currently doing small scale workshops in our studio for people to learn the basics of clay and just using the shop space as a gallery showroom. This is not exclusively for professional artists; we are encouraging local crafters to offer their work for sale in our gallery too."

This Thursday they will be opening the doors of the shop for the first time, having previously had targets of Easter, Flora Day, the summer tourist season and then just before the second lockdown, which kept having to be put back - although Tess said this was "not through lack of trying."

It will be open initially 10am to 5pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays - and possibly Sundays.

The couple will also be starting workshops this week, booking through their website Glazedexpression.online - where dates and times will be published - or in the shop.

Tess is a teacher who graduated from Oxford Brookes with a qualification in early years development and education, working in a pre-school for 15 years and with higher education childcare students at college, while Ady graduated from Cardiff Metropolitan School of Art and Design and is a ceramic artist who will run the workshops.

They decided to open the shop as both were looking for a more creative career path and to pass on their enthusiasm for people to enhance their creative skills with something they haven't tried before.

"We know lockdown has been tough, but also know that people have found that learning new hobbies and skills have flourished during their time at home, and aided their mental stability," said Tessa, who added that they chose Helston as it "felt right" to be near to scenic countryside and beaches.