A mum from Coventry is to open a craft shop which will be home to the city’s first Fairtrade café.

Joanne Watson will launch her venture Crafty Cottage in May after receiving a loan from a fund set up to help businesses which struggle to secure investment from conventional sources.

The loan from the Coventry and Warwickshire Community Development Finance Initiative will help Joanne rent a shop in Green Lane, Finham, and start the business which will include a pottery studio.

The shop will also stock high-quality knitting brands such as Debbie Bliss, Noro, and Laines du Nord plus card-making and scrap-booking supplies.

The mum-of-two said: “I’m really excited to finally get started and with such a wide range of services hopefully there will be something for everyone.

“We will be holding regular workshops for all ages as well as plenty of activities for children during the summer holidays. I’ve already taken my first booking for a children’s party!

“I started knitting again a couple of years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter and I realised there are very few places in the area where you can get good quality wool so that gave me the initial idea for the business.”

The shop will also feature a ‘paint your own pottery’ area which Joanne hopes will be popular for children’s parties and a bespoke celebration card service.

The 33-year-old said: “This will be a real homecoming for me as the shop we’re moving into was the old newsagents where as a girl I used to read the magazines without paying for them!”

Her passion for craft was rekindled after she was made redundant in 2004 and she is equally keen on the Fairtrade concept.

She said: “As a Christian, I’ve always been keen to help those less fortunate than myself and I strongly believe in the ethical side of Fairtrade.

“I’m hoping the café will be used by visitors to the shop and locals who just want a cup of coffee and somewhere to read a book.”

Joanne has received business mentoring from the Women’s Business Development Agency (WBDA) which is part of the Regional Women’s Enterprise Unit and she paid tribute to its Women’s Empowerment Programme.

She said: “WBDA has been very supportive and my mentor Minal Sodha has been excellent and has come up with lots of ideas. There is so much to think about and do when starting a business and I highly recommend their free course to any other women who are thinking of setting up a business.

“They also organised a women-only networking event at the Ricoh Arena where I made some really useful contacts.”

Minal from the WBDA – which is partly funded by Advantage West Midlands, the DTI/Small Business Service and the European Social Fund – said Joanne had seized the opportunities in front of her to start her business.

“Joanne was already very passionate about the type of business she wanted to start up and she was keen to get as much practical advice as possible,” she said.

“I’m sure she’ll make a success of the new venture and hopefully be an inspiration to other women looking to start-up on their own.”

For more information about the shop visit www.crafty-cottage.co.uk or call 0789 411 9878.

To find out more about the support available from the RWEU call 024 7623 6111 or log on to www.rweu.co.uk.