A POTTERY painting café in Tilehurst has reopened to the public and will not be closing despite still being on the market.

The Mad Hatters Pottery Painting Café on School Road was put on the market by owner Fiona Sharman earlier this year and is still listed for sale online.

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Despite this, Ms Sharman has confirmed she will not be selling the shop.

She said there was a “little bit of interest” shown but “nothing really ever came of it”.

She added: “It cemented in our heads it’s not something we can part with just now.”

Speaking in February, she had explained she had "a lot going on privately" and was "thinking about my family and my future".

She said: “What I was doing was putting it out there to see what it’s worth and to see if anyone is interested in it.”

She explained it was just for forward thinking and said, “it’s definitely not closing down".

The pottery shop was completely closed for a few months due to the coronavirus pandemic and Ms Sharman said she had the communities support to do this.

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The business offered a takeaway only service too, but the shop is now open to the public again.

A click and collect pottery service is being offered where customers can choose pottery online and collect it from the shop or look inside the shop itself and take items home with them to paint.

Customers wishing to sit inside and paint pottery can also do so by booking a space in advance.

Inside the shop, staff members wear masks, visors and gloves and there are Perspex screens in place too.

Ms Sharman said: “We are finding our new normal.”

She added they are “trying to make it a familiar service” for their customers.