Couple open ‘living’ sewing and knitting shop after moving to Hartlepool from Scandinavia

Mark and Anika Sanders hope to build a community and help people learn new skills when they open their new shop on Tuesday, September 12.

Set up as a living room and a dining room, She Knits, He Sews, in Murray Street, will offer knitting and sewing materials as well as workshops and classes.

People can hand sew and knit in the living room while the dining room has sewing machines available for use too.

"We wanted to open a shop that’s memorable. Somewhere people can actually just come, and relax and enjoy themselves,” Mark said.

"If you don’t know how to sew, you don’t know how to knit, you can come down and we’ll show you, as well as just popping down if you want a quick ‘how do I do this kind of thing’, we’ll show you.”

He added: “We want it to be somewhere where people can come and enjoy and make a part of their lives.

"We’re there for the community aspect, as well as the business.”

The shop is championing sustainability and “slow fashion” as knowing how to sew means people could repair or even make their own clothes.

Materials in the store are natural too – with wool sourced from Benridge Woolworks in Blackhall.

Mark, from Hartlepool, said: "We feel like everyone should be able to and have the option to fix their own clothes rather try to get something new.

"If you’ve got a hole in your sock, you should know how to fix it, in my opinion.”

Mark, 30, and Anika, 28, used to work in the food industry although the shop had been a dream for a while.

The couple moved to Hartlepool in June last year after living in the Faroe Islands, where Anika is from.

Mark has been sewing since he was a child and Anika has knitted her entire life.

"I’ve been sewing all my life and my wife has knitted all her life. It’s always been a thing,” he said.

"My wife knitted professionally for about three years.”

The shop will be open from 9.30am till 5pm from Tuesday till Friday and between 10am and 2pm on Saturdays.