A shop and creative hub in the city centre is about to close its doors for the final time.
We Are, in Humberstone Gate, has announced it is closing permanently after a year in the city.
The shop - located in a basement unit - sells art, craft and accessories which are handmade by local artists.
Customers will have a final opportunity to visit this week, when it opens on Wednesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 28, between 1pm and 6pm.
Strict social distancing measures will be in place, and only one household will be allowed into the shop at a time. Only card payments will be accepted.
Discover more things to do in Leicestershire with our free email alerts
If you're looking for things to do in Leicestershire, you need our FREE daily updates straight to your inbox.
You'll get two emails a day - one on the morning and one in the afternoon - with the latest events news and the day's top local headlines, plus breaking news alerts for the very biggest stories as they happen.
Simply click here to sign up.
If you decide you don't want the alerts anymore - no problem. Click the 'unsubscribe' link.
We Are is a community interest organisation designed to support local artists, and help support the creative community of Leicester.
Launched in April 2019, the shop was the brainchild of jewellery designer and illustrator Kristen Rollinson.
The idea was to bridge the gap between artists starting out in their careers and becoming freelance artists as a profession, by offering a place to sell their work and have access to professionals working in the industry - as well as sharing their talents with the people of Leicester.
Talking about the reason behind the closure, Kristen told LeicestershireLive: "There is a number of reasons why I have chosen to move out of the basement shop unit.
"One is visibility. With it being in a basement, there are no windows, and I feel the work deserves to be seen by more people than the basement shop can facilitate.
"I've taken some time to re-evaluate everything and decided the basement shop is not fit for purpose anymore.
"We Are is a not-for-profit organisation, and I have volunteered a year of time to the project so far, and feel it’s not sustainable in that location any longer."
It's not all bad news, as We Are will be popping up in James’ Cafe Bistro in East Bond Street as soon as it is safe for the cafe to fully reopen.
Further down the line, there are plans to look for a new shop location with more visibility than the Humberstone Gate unit.
"Over the past year, We Are has hosted around 30 different events from shopping experiences to creative workshops, music events and yoga classes," continued Kristen.
"We have taken part in around 10 pop up shops in spaces such as the LCB Depot and hosted eight private art exhibitions.
"We Are will continue to do all of this and more, from different locations across the city as soon as it’s safe to do so."
