A SHOP filled to the brim with handmade crafts created in Oxfordshire will be opening in Abingdon in the run up to Christmas.

The pop-up business will bring online sellers from online marketplace Oxford Etsy into an empty unit in Bury Street.

Christina O’Hare, who runs her own business, Christina Made It, and set up the group, said: “I sell the majority of the pieces I make through Etsy, which is a global online marketplace for handmade and vintage items.

"I originally set up the Oxford Etsy Team in July because EtsyUK was looking for cities to host their event 'Etsy Made Local'.

"I was chosen by EtsyUK to host the Oxford event and in less than 24 hours I received more than 100 applications from Etsy sellers based in Oxfordshire, wanting to take part in the event."

Oxford's Etsy Made Local event will take place on Sunday December 3 at The Old Fire Station, George Street, Oxford.

The 30-year-old added: "From the interest for this, we realised there was a high demand for local sellers to have somewhere to sell their pieces."

It was at this point she enlisted the help of two other Abingdon-based Etsy sellers, Madeleine Khoshab from Hoof & Paw and Shany Saloniko from Shany Design Studio.

The North Abingdon resident said: "Everything happened pretty quickly after signing the licence. "We had only 18 days to decorate, furnish and fill the entire shop with stock from sellers.

"We have been really lucky with lots of our members donating pieces of furniture as well as past pop-up shops lending us displays."

It follows Vale of White Horse District Council’s recently launched Independent Shops Project – an initiative which enlisted the help of Iain Nicholson, a town centre specialist.

The scheme helps small businesses to fill empty units in the town by creating pop-up shops and also allows retailers to rent premises on a temporary basis to ‘test the waters’ before committing to a permanent location in the town.

Mike Murray, cabinet member for economic development, said: “The project is already having a positive impact to the town centre and we welcome the Oxford Etsy team and wish them every success for the future.”

The pop-up shop will have an extensive range of handmade and vintage items from around 40 sellers over six weeks, with jewellery, illustrations and screen prints, wooden pieces and drawings, candles, greetings cards, children’s clothing, furniture, accessories and home decorations for sale.

A number of Abingdon-based sellers items' will be stocked in the store including Miller & Jeeves, which sells leather belts and bags, and whose pieces will also be stocked in John Lewis in the new Westgate Centre, Giddings Gifts which sells gifts for dog lovers, R L Hibbs which sells lino prints and Bibbidy which sells cards and prints.

The new shop will be open from 10am to 5.30pm every day except for Mondays and will be at 34 Bury Street from 4 November to 17 December.

For more information about Oxford Etsy visit the group's Facebook page.