Midtown Makers Gift Shop - BLOG

Ballymena is celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2026, marking four centuries since King Charles I granted the land to the Adair family in 1626. To commemorate the occasion, we have highlighted a few notable women from the town’s history who we hope inspire todays generations of women to achieve whatever what’s in their hearts and minds.

The year 2025 was exceptional for Midtown Makers Gift Shop. We hosted a range of creative workshops, supported emerging and small local businesses, and revamped both the shop and our website. Additionally, we became the Visitor Information Hub for Ballymena. It was an eventful year, and we want to express our gratitude to all our members, customers, and supporters for keeping Midtown Makers a lively and creative spot in Ballymena.

Thank you Ballymena Means for the fabulous video, we are all super happy with our make over, hope all our Members and customers like it too.

In 2015, Ballymena’s town centre was introduced to a small, cuddly character who would go on to win hearts across the globe—Bertie the Bear. Commissioned by the Ballymena Business Improvement District (BID), Bertie starred in a four-minute Christmas short film that quickly became a viral sensation. What started as a local festive project soon grew into something much bigger, a story that captured the heart and soul of Ballymena and proudly placed it on the world map.

On a quiet winter’s night, when snowflakes danced softly outside and the hearth crackled with gentle warmth, a row of stockings hung by the fire. They weren’t just pieces of cloth — they were little pockets of hope, ready to be filled with love and kindness. Just like the animals in the stable on that first Christmas night, the stockings remind us of humility, peace, and the joy found in simple things.

This September, the team at Midtown Makers were invited to join the new Mid & East Antrim Neighbourhood Tourism Hub's familiarisation tours, led by Patricia McEldowney of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. Catriona, Jim and I were joined by Hub Members from Carrickfergus, Larne and Cullybackey to explore some of the many places of interest in the Borough.

Discover how the jack-o’-lantern came to be, and why its flickering face still haunts our doorsteps. This is the tale of a rogue who cheated the Devil, and was cursed to roam the earth forever, carrying his hollowed-out turnip with its hellish ember glow.

The new Tourist Information Hub is designed to enhance access to up-to-date details on local events, attractions, and activities. It features an interactive iPad for digital information access, detailed maps of the area, and striking imagery of the region’s impressive scenery. Knowledgeable staff from Midtown Makers Gift Shop are also on hand to offer friendly guidance and local insights.

"Retail Ready" is a pop-up-shop initiative managed by Ballymena Business Centre in partnership with The Gallaher Trust.  This initiative...

RETAIL READY: Glen Houston's Granny Shaws Confections is now in Midtown Makers! On our Retail Ready Programme for 2 months, come and get your sweet treats including their amazing fudge 😋 "Granny Shaw’s Confections are award winning makers of traditional and nostalgic confections....

Ballymena Business Centre, in partnership with The Gallaher Trust and with the support of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and Invest NI, hosted a dynamic business clinic for the creative sector this week in Midtown Makers Gift Shop. The event drew a strong turnout from local artists, makers, and innovators eager to explore the range of support available to help start, grow and sustain their creative business.

Ballymena Photographer, Nicole first started her Midtown Makers journey a year ago when she nervously came into the shop asking for help selling her photography. She signed up for the Retail Ready Programme, which gave her 2 months free test trading and vital advice from Ballymena Business Centre. With a lot of hard work and expert printing from Ryan at Woodside Photographic, Nicole displayed her pictures in the window of Midtown Makers and made her first sale in a retail env

🐝Tell It To The Bees 🐝 NEW Blog Post - Every month we talk to one of our fabulous Makers, and August is the turn of Queen Bee Fiona Doherty from HoneyComb.Cabin . From her kitchen table to her own workshop shed and winning awards, Fiona takes us on her un-bee-liveable journey of becoming a beeswax crafter.

Interview with Midtown Makers Member Linda Wray.

Join us this August Craft Month for a programme of textiles workshops including crochet, felting, embroidery and quilting.

This month we talk to Catriona McCarte of Crafty Treasures. Catriona shares her crafting day and what goes on behind the scenes of faux flower wreath making.

How One Bicycle Threads Midtown Makers to Ballymena’s Textile Past. Written by Jim Stevenson Jim Stevenson stood outside Midtown Makers...

Welcome to Richard from Grain & Glory, who is trading here for 2 months on our Retail Ready Programme. "Hi, I'm Richard Fleck, Over the...

Ten years ago, the idea emerged to open a shop in Ballymena to accommodate growing art and crafts businesses.