Chirk woman who dreamed up shop opens store in town

Lynsey Kassam has taken over The Old Milk Bar in Church Street and opened a new creative space as a community interest company on Saturday, December 2.

The Old Milk Bar Local Craft and Eco Hub. (Image: Corinne Hills)

The story goes that Lynsey, who has ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis) and Fibromyalgia, dreamt about the shop a few months ago and shared it with her friends who were more than supportive.

She said: “I was a member of a crochet group a few years ago, so I dreamt that the four of us opened a shop in The Old Milk Bar – selling people’s crafts like an antique centre.

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“So, I sent a message to the WhatsApp group the next day and it just wouldn’t leave me.

“I just kept thinking about it – then I wondered why not.”

Lynsey then spoke to some of her friends who have a business to see what it would entail.

“Funnily enough when I was in town, I saw that the shop was actually up to let after being off the market and empty for seven years”, she added.

Due to her health, Lynsey needed a partner to help her when she couldn’t.

She continued: “I spoke to my friend Neera [Vyas] who was looking for a new adventure as she just retired from teaching.

Customers at the opening on Saturday. (Image: Corinne Hills)

“It sort of all snowballed from there and four months later we opened the shop.”

The pair wanted to make a space for local creatives to come together and sell their crafts.

All of Lynsey’s friends have come together to help her open the shop, including Corinne , who travelled from quite far to support her and Fiona.

Fiona Dabek-James was the first person Lynsey called to tell her about the dream and she has been helping her set up and volunteering. 

Lynsey added that: "Without her, we couldn't have done it."

She also called Corinne Hills who told her to just 'do it' and follow her dream.

Corinne added: “She called me and she told me she had this dream and she wanted to make it happen so I just said ‘do it’."

Lynsey is also putting disability accessibility at the forefront of the project, with mobility issues herself, she wanted to make sure the shop was accessible for all.

Disabled crafters get discounted commission at the shop too. 

Both Lynsey and Neera are passionate about sustainable living and as there was nowhere nearby selling eco refills, they were keen to include an eco-hub and for the shop to have a low environmental impact.

Run by volunteers, the shop will be open Wednesdays to Saturdays. 

In the new year they will be renting space for art, craft and well-being workshops.