The Sculpts opens new store in Manchester Airport’s Terminal 1

The Sculpts, a design business started by a Mancunian couple during the pandemic, marks a huge milestone today, with the opening of a dedicated store in Manchester Airport’s Terminal 1.

The owners of The Sculpts are pledging to give visitors to Manchester the chance to ‘take a piece of the city home with them’, with a wide range of handmade homeware and souvenirs in stock, inspired by Manchester’s cultural scene and made in the city.

Products include greetings cards, prints, textiles, mugs, and the business’ signature ‘alphabet tiles’ – with each letter accompanied by a hand-drawn illustration of a part of Manchester’s heritage, from the Worker Bee to Stephenson’s Rocket and Factory Records.The Sculpts started trading as an online retailer in 2020, and opened its first bricks-and-mortar store in Sale just last year – but will now have the opportunity to reach millions of potential customers from across the planet as it opens its doors in Manchester Airport’s Terminal 1.

Having branched out from an online business to outdoor markets, The Sculpts opened a pop-up stand in John Lewis over Christmas in 2021 and 2022, and took up permanent residence at Altrincham Market. Some of Manchester’s best-loved cultural institutions now stock the company’s products in their gift shops, including Manchester City Art Gallery, John Rylands Library, the National Football Museum, and Whitworth Gallery.

This year, The Sculpts are collaborating with MTV to create an exclusive design for more than 100 world-famous music artists performing at the Europe Music Awards, being held in Manchester in November.

Despite the company’s impressive growth, it is sticking firmly to its roots – it designs its own original Manchester-inspired artwork, all its products are handmade in the city, rather than being outsourced to a mass producer, and all its small team of employees call the city home.

The Sculpts joins a growing list of thriving Mancunian start-ups that have opened units at Manchester Airport, including Salford brewery Seven Bro7hers, coffee chain Pot Kettle Black and fast-food favourite Archie’s.