A sparkling new co-op on the High Street
It was about this time last year that the sight of a boarded-up shopfront on the High Street got me dreaming of how a creative craftsman or woman might set up a studio and start a trend for shops in Budleigh Salterton where people could see products being made. An exotic chocolatier might set up his or her business, I suggested, at http://budleighbrewsterunited.blogspot.com/2009/12/sweet-idea-for-budleigh-shop.html having learnt about such a development in Budleigh's sister-town of Brewster, Massachusetts. So it was good to meet an enthusiastic and artistic new arrival who has set up shop on Budleigh's High Street, combining a gallery of intriguing bespoke jewellery with a workshop where he can be seen creating the items. Jason Jones, pictured above, is one of four members of what he describes as "a jewellery cooperative" which has up to now been based at Otterton Mill where designer Steve Whitford set up his handcrafted jewellery business. Now the venture has expand...