Three Ayrshire creatives opened C.O.A.S.T as a gallery and gift shop in Troon in December 2019, giving local artists and makers a retail space of their own. After the shop passed through the pandemic, artist Milla took sole charge in March 2022 and relaunched it as C.O.A.S.T Gifts and Gallery before moving the whole operation to 16 Ayr Street in February 2024. The shelves and walls carry original paintings, prints, cards, jewellery, ceramics, pewter, glass and textiles made by dozens of Scottish artists rather than mass-produced stock. Milla runs a rolling programme of meet-the-maker events and short workshops in painting, cyanotype printing and jewellery making, held in the shop after hours. New makers can apply through the gallery's own application process to have work stocked on a sale-or-return basis.
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