For 22 years, Margaret Chaseling has been helping to spread the Christmas spirit.
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She’s one of the volunteers behind Dubbo’s Art and Craft Christmas Shop, which was originally created to give local crafters a place to sell their metal and wood work, clothes and edible treats.
It soon became obvious the shop was also filling a need in the marker; after opening for just six weeks in its first year, the group opened the shop for three months in year two.
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They never looked back, and Margaret and her fellow crafters have since spent every silly season sharing their talents with shoppers from near and far.
“We have one couple, they go to the Bathurst races. They live on the Gold Coast and they come in every year,” Margaret said.
But the most valuable aspect of the shop, at 163 Macquarie Street, is the friendship.
“It gives older people a means of doing things that they enjoy doing, and we’re all in good health which is amazing,” Margaret said.
“It’s a very pleasant place to come. There’s a lot of interaction within the shop and … it’s a lovely, friendly place.”
The crafters are eager for more people to submit their creations, and don’t charge children commission.
“We’re always looking for new people … as long as they’ve got something a little bit different.”
The Dubbo Art and Craft Society also has a Christmas Shop, located at 133 Cobra Street.
