About Us
- 1997 Atishoo Designs was founded in 1997 by artist and designer Liz Hackney. It started out as a small studio within a larger complex of art and craft businesses in St Agnes on the north coast of Cornwall. The name was a play on words inspired by the unusual technique that Liz uses in her art work making collages with hand dyed tissue papers. "Art Tissue" when said quickly sounds like "Atishoo"
- 1998 Liz and her parents Jenny and Mike (who by this point had become her business partners) opened a second shop in the city of Truro. Unfortunately after 12 months they closed the shop in Truro but continued with the studio space in St. Agnes.
- 2003 the lease became available for the former butchers shop in Charlestown. Liz had by this stage learned how to frame pictures and had met her partner Paul Clark, also a framer and successful artist. The location was perfect, and so on Liz's 30th birthday Atishoo Gallery in Charlestown opened with a combined birthday celebration and opening night. In order to concentrate on this new gallery space they sadly had to close the studio in St. Agnes.
- 2009 Liz and Paul had a baby, Eileen, and Mike and Jenny ran the gallery while Liz took six months maternity leave. On her return to work, with baby Eileen accompanying her everyday, Jenny and Mike hung up their aprons and retired. Paul joined Liz as her business partner and they now run the gallery and bespoke picture framing workshop between them, with occasional help from Eileen at weekends, she loves sticking on labels and helping with displays.
- 2017 Atishoo celebrates 20 years in business and continues to promote UK based artists, designers and makers.
- 2020 In response to affects on retail by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Atishoo relaunches their website including everything from the bricks and mortar shop to their online offering. A "click & collect" and "local delivery" service is also launched.
- 2021 Atishoo launches an online bespoke picture framing service alongside their in house framing offer.
- 2023 In the summer of this year Atishoo celebrated 20 years at the Charlestown shop. Sadly, just before Christmas, Liz's dad Mike passed away after a brief illness. Without his input the business would not be where it is today, from working on converting the old Butchers shop into a gallery space, serving in the gallery and teaching Liz how to do the accounts, he was always there with wise words, DIY skills and a good hug. We know he will be missed by the Charlestown community.
- 2024 Liz and Paul take part in the pop up Floating Fayres onboard The Lady Daphne, a Thames Sailing Barge moored in Charlestown Harbour. 20% of sales onboard go towards restoration and upkeep of this historic 101 year old vessel.
Atishoo is very much a family business, and everything from choosing products, displaying them, framing, serving and running the online shop is done by Liz and Paul, as well as still producing their own artwork. Many of the artists and craftspeople have been selling their work through Atishoo for more than 20 years and are regarded as great friends.