Father and son team Andrew and Harry Nixon have made it their business to support Staffordshire designers, makers and creative businesses.

Launched during the second lockdown as an Instagram page to promote local businesses, Keep It Local now has a flagship store in Longton and pop-up shops around Stoke-on-Trent including in the Potteries Shopping Centre.

It currently celebrates and supports 120 local artisans by showcasing and selling their wares in a beautifully curated and professionally styled venue.

Over the last 18 months Andrew and Harry have generated £108,000 of income for their makers through sales in its stores and with a new store planned for Newcastle-under- Lyme they expect this figure to continue to grow.

Harry, aged 19, has completed his college course and dad Andrew, 41, has left his job as a delivery driver so that they can work on the business full-time alongside one additional member of staff.

“We’ve had a lot of support from the local community. It’s been amazing,” said Harry. “We sell a wide range of items including candles, bags, earrings and jewellery and we always make sure that everything has been made locally.

“Some of our makers have never sold their work before and others are already selling at big exhibitions as well as through us.”

Keep It Local is taking over a Potteries Shopping Centre unit, in Stoke-on-Trent city centre, for the Christmas run up from October 1 until Christmas Eve.  It is being billed as Staffordshire’s First Ever Creative Department Store and is set to include two floors of ‘creative magic’ including workshops, events and creative activities.

Harry added: “We took a punt in deciding to both make this our full-time job and it’s paying off.”

Keep It Local has entered the High Street Impact category of the Staffordshire University Business Awards.