Home Grown: Craft Week Scotland 2024

Running from the 11 to 17 of November, Craft Week Scotland makes it easier to support craft makers locally – or head out on a road trip to discover new treasures. From Shetland to the Solway Firth, Craft Scotland shines a spotlight on craft businesses with an up-to-date map that includes everything from galleries and studios to coffee shops. 


At what must surely be the most picturesque spot on the map, in Ullapool's Ceàrd you can pick up vessels by Julia Smith and Fergus Stewart, delicate knits by Quernstone and nature themed prints by Louise Worthy.

Wild Gorse Pottery is the Southside of Glasgow-based shop and studio of potter Jen Smith who specialises in functional ceramics from modern makers using age-old methods. A pair of plates illustrated with timothy grass are wheel-thrown and have pleasingly pinched rims giving a beautiful rippled texture (and at £35 each, they are giving high street brands a real run for their money). Over in the city centre, Welcome Home continues to curate one of the most eclectic craft collections in the country. Of particular interest are chunky silver rings by pas.cos that look as though they are hewn from ancient rocks and studded with colourful ethical gemstones, and Colette Kerr’s painterly giclee printed still-lifes.

Dunfermline’s historic and beautifully renovated Abbot House is well worth a visit. Situated in the city’s heritage quarter and featuring an elegant walled garden, visitors can also browse a colourful gift shop featuring contemporary work by local makers like Clarabella Christie, Scarlet Knitwear and characterful Christmas decorations by Esther Kent.


In Dundee, DCA continues to be one of the most reliable retailers to pick up something special in contemporary craft. Items of note include bold brooches in modern palettes by Syrah Jay and statement earrings in brass by NMARRA. This November the shop is complemented by Crafted, a festive marketplace which takes place over the weekend of 23 and 24 November. Ten minutes away is V&A Dundee – its waterfront retail space is where younger craft enthusiasts can pick up a kit to make their own monster – designed by Donna Wilson and made in Dundee’s Knit Shop – or a double-handed mug that’s perfect for hot chocolate made by Steph Liddle.

Independent retailers all across our nation are often the centrepiece of our high streets and our neighbourhoods, inviting to both locals and visitors from abroad. From beautiful displays to thoughtful selection through their specialist knowledge, Scotland’s store owners and trade buyers play a key role in bringing contemporary craft into the lives of many. 


Edinburgh’s BARD offers visitors a truly memorable craft experience that’s both a shop and a gallery for Scottish craft and design. By telling compelling stories about ideas, people and objects that forge Scottish cultural identity, there is a genuine opportunity to learn about some of Scotland’s outstanding makers like Jono Smart and Emily Stephen (minimalist ceramics), the Shetland Woollen Co. (cosy sweaters) and Jack Sheahan (handmade furniture) who articulates so well why handcrafted items hold such an enduring appeal: “There is beauty in the time taken and the ability to design – not with a ruler but by eye, there is depth to the imperfections, and uniqueness in the resulting story.”


Scotland is home to over 2,500 makers and craft businesses from furniture to jewellery, ceramics, textiles and glass where exceptional quality is both accessible and increasingly made with a commitment to sustainable and ethical methods and materials. As international demand increases for Scottish craft with makers receiving critical acclaim and recognition through exhibitions and awards, Craft Week is a timely reminder to shoppers in Scotland that there’s a wealth of craft and design talent on our doorstep. 

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More information on Craft Week Scotland as well as a growing list of contemporary craft retailers is available at craftscotland.org
Craft Week Scotland, 11-17 Nov, various venues across Scotland