A family-run jewellery business has been praised for the "important role" it plays in the local community.
Paisley and Renfrewshire North MP Alison Taylor recently visited Andersons Jewellery Workshop on Renfrew High Street as part of her support for the Scotland Loves Local week initiative.
She said: “Behind every shopfront is a neighbour, a friend or family.
“I’m proud to support the people who make our places great this Scotland Loves Local Week.
“If every person in Scotland spent just £1 more per week with a local business instead of online giants, it would generate an additional £285m for local economies each year.”
Read more: Renfrewshire MP backs nationwide campaign supporting local businesses
During her visit to Andersons, Ms Taylor met the McArthur family, who have run the jewellery workshop for three generations.
She said: “I’m grateful to Andersons Jewellery Workshop for welcoming me to their local store, where I met Mariesha Anderson McArthur, husband Jim and daughters Shannon and Abbi.
“The business has been family owned for three generations and has become an institution on Renfrew High Street over 36 years.
“The store’s main business is jewellery design, repairs and re-purposing existing pieces to give them new life, crafted by three in-house jewellers on staff.
“It was fascinating to learn that jewellers traditionally learned from journeymen.
"Now courses are available to help with training.
“Abbi is continuing the family tradition by training in evaluation and gemmology, delivered by the National Association of Jewellers.
“She is only the second person to achieve this qualification in Scotland, which is a tremendous achievement.
“I was pleased to hear that since the new Renfrew Bridge opened, Andersons Jewellery Workshop have seen a huge increase in customers from Clydebank, Yoker and further afield.
“And customers are loyal to the Renfrew business, with orders from people who’ve moved from Scotland to the USA, Australia and Switzerland.”
Mariesha said: “Alison’s visit as the area’s MP highlights the important role our local makers and retailers play in Renfrewshire’s economy and community spirit.
“Our customers often span generations of the same family.
“They can see their item being made, all through the design and manufacturing process to ensure the final piece is exactly what they want.
“That’s also important with jewellery that’s been worn for years.
“They are often deeply sentimental items with their own stories that mean a lot to people, so for re-designs we also strive to get it perfect.”
Read more: 'Just £1 more a week from everyone could inject £9.5m into Renfrewshire's economy'
The Scotland Loves Local campaign, now in its fifth year, promotes localism, urging collaboration between businesses, communities and councils to help foster great places to live, work and visit.
Ms Taylor said: “When we spend local, we support our towns.
“Almost 70p in every pound spent local stays local.
“It’s been a pleasure to support all the local businesses involved in making it such a big success in my constituency.”
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