Leeds Corn Exchange at Christmas

We meet two independent traders in the Leeds Corn Exchange who are gearing up for the festive season.

Transcript

00:00Hey, I'm Stephen Roper. I co-own the gallery with my mum, Anne.

00:05Family business, been here for 10 years, Evergreen Gallery. I'm an artist jeweler.

00:09Everything we sell is driven by one vision, and that is it's inspired by nature

00:17and it's made by professional makers in their sheds in the UK.

00:22And we have our studio in the gallery here, so I'm always, always, always,

00:27seven days a week, working at my bench.

00:29And you can see me if you peep through the studio window at the back of the shop.

00:33Quite a surprise to some people. One minute they're looking at a piece of pottery

00:37and they realise they're looking through the window at me working.

00:40My name is Amy Garth. I am the owner of Honey, which is a vintage shop in the Corn Exchange.

00:48Been open for about eight months now, so still pretty new.

00:52Specialising in hand-picked Y2K vintage and also loads of handmade stuff as well.

00:59It's my first Christmas here at the Corn Exchange, so I don't know what it will be like.

01:04I'm hoping it will be good and busy. I have tried to get a lot of gifty bits in.

01:09People often don't realise, but you step off the street into the Corn Exchange

01:13and it's like a wonderful palace. It's like a fairy tale.

01:17It's just the most incredible place you could ever walk into.

01:20The Corn Exchange has been like a perfect place for me to set up my shop.

01:24I think it's really kind and welcoming and it's just a gorgeous place to be.

01:29What people are drawn to more and more is the fact that,

01:33I mean just the very fact that a lot of love has gone into the making of every piece

01:37because it's made by a maker in a shed in this country

01:41and buying their products means you're supporting their life.

01:45It's a world apart once you get into the Christmas season.

01:48There's a huge adrenaline rush, hugely exhausting,

01:51and I know when I enter into the four to six week period,

01:55it's going to be something else altogether.

01:57Very hard work, but rewarding. Lovely to see people.