Inside Sunderland's new shop showcasing local and British artists and makers

“It’s more than just pencils and rubbers,” says the designer and retail lead behind Culture House’s new gift shop.

As well as being a library, art space, play space and community hub, the city’s newest venue also has a strong retail and hospitality offering which spans the ground floor.

To the right of the main entrance is Blacks Corner bar and restaurant, open for everything from coffees and breakfasts, through to small plates and wine.

And to the left of the main entrance is the new gift shop, which is arguably a quality new store in its own right.

Isabella Dryden is part of the Blacks Corner team, but also works as a designer and was first commissioned to create 15 Culture House specific items for the shop.

So impressed was Culture House director Leanne Littlewood with the candles, badges, tote bag and more that Isabella designed that she tasked her with curating the whole store.

“Over the years, I’ve had my own fashion line in Fenwick, done pop ups in London, trade shows in America, but this felt like a real coming home project. It’s been so lovely to do this in my home city,” said Isabella who over the years has transitioned from fashion design into graphic design.

The shop sells a really wide range of items, such as prints, pottery, jewellery, books, accessories, toys, candles and pantry goods like pastas and seasoning.

Around a quarter of the items are from North East artists, such as prints by local favourite Kathryn Robertson, Vaux beers and custom-made ‘Mackem’ leather keyrings by Tori Lo designs.

There’s also some cult brands you won’t find elsewhere in Sunderland like Weezy Pop customisable acrylic jewellery.

“It’s more than just pencils and rubbers. We have a really good spread of items available,” added Isabella. “There’s a real community aspect to it, almost like a market feel, but more luxurious.

“I’ve grown up in Sunderland all my life and although there are key brands on the high street, there’s isn’t anywhere with this kind of market feel, where you can browse the work of artists and British makers.

“For a lot of these brands, it’s the first time they’ve ever been available in Sunderland because there just wasn’t anywhere to showcase their products before, a place where they could exhibit and sell.”

As well as pantry goods to buy, such as Northern Pasta Co, flavoured popcorn, sweets and artisan chocolates, there’s also a fridge for cold drinks and snacks.

“When people come to Culture House, we don’t want them to have to go to Greggs for lunch,” said Isabella. “We want them to grab a coffee or cold drink, stay a while, sit down with their laptop and use it like the living room for the city it’s intended to be.”

Culture House opens fully from 10am on Saturday, September 12 with an opening ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a whole host of activity throughout the building during the course of the day.

No tickets are required, anyone can call in and explore the new building, its library, play area, galleries and more.

After opening day, Culture House will be open seven days a week from 10am to 6pm.