Art exhibition shining a light on local creatives realises shop owner's lifelong ambition

By Matthew Hancock-Bruce 26th Feb 2025

Loola Loves is ready to host its first art exhibition of 2025 (Credit: Loola Loves)
Loola Loves is ready to host its first art exhibition of 2025 (Credit: Loola Loves)

A new art show will shine a light on local creatives.

Loola Loves on Chestergate launches its first exhibition of the year on Friday (February 28) – A Little Light.

Hosting events such as this has been a lifelong ambition for the shop's owner, Louise Bullock.

"I've always wanted to have a multipurpose space, somewhere to host exhibitions and events," she said.

"So, I took my interest in curation and design and brought them together."

Louise, 39, added: "It's all about building a community around the business and Macclesfield has such a great arts community.

"So, having a gallery space is a really important part of the business, bringing those artists in and giving them a platform for their work."

Loola Loves aims to be a 'multipurpose space' (Credit: Loola Loves)

It has been a long journey for Loola Loves to get to this point.

Louise started up the business around five years ago as an online store.

She got her first taste of the high street when she was invited to open a stall inside The Monocle Café.

She later moved to the Indoor Market before returning to Chestergate, now in her own unit.

Last summer, Loola Loves relocated to its current home at 75 Chestergate.

This new bigger space has allowed Louise to realise her dream and put on events such as A Little Light.

The exhibition will feature the work of six artists - Sonoko Obuchi, Sian Ediss-Johnson, Emma Green, Chris Simon, Kate Fawcett and Samantha Minshull.

"I wanted to create an exhibition that brings a bit of colour and positivity in a time that for many feels quite dark," Louise said.

"There's a lot going on in the world and a lot of people are struggling.

"So, I called out for people whose work has bold use of colour, pattern or joyful themes and we got a really wide mix of work submitted."

When it opened last August, the shop hosted an exhibition featuring work from Macclesfield College pupils (Credit: Loola Loves)

The opening night for A Little Light gets underway at 6pm this Friday.

Guests will be treated to complimentary prosecco, soft drinks and sweet treats, with Soulful Sundays providing the soundtrack to the evening.

Those looking to grab dinner can pop across the road to Depot, who are hosting their monthly 'slice night' from 6pm to 9pm.

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Louise is hoping to host more exhibitions as well as wine tastings, creative workshops and storytelling sessions for children.

She will also be organising the Summer Days Street Party once again, with further details to be revealed soon.

Louise is hoping to host wine tastings, workshops, and storytelling sessions this year (Credit: Loola Loves)

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