Bargoed town centre sparkled with festive creativity as local businesses transformed their shopfronts for the annual Christmas Window Dressing Competition.
Reverie – Creators Market has been crowned the winner of the 2025 competition, impressing judges with its vibrant and imaginative festive display. The main window showcased a collaborative effort from all traders at Reverie, featuring colourful decorations intertwined with products for sale. Every inch of window space was maximised, with side windows also adorned in festive décor, creating a truly magical experience for visitors.
Located at 61-62 Hanbury Road, Bargoed, Reverie – Creators Market is a new business run by AnnMarie Whitcombe. The premises, formerly home to Gus Jones Jewellers, was revitalised in Spring 2025 as a Meanwhile Space project supported by Shared Prosperity Funding.
The concept for Reverie began when AnnMarie, after years of dreaming of her own creative business and owning a boutique gift shop, registered with Pop-Up Wales for a trial art workshop space or small space to sell merchandise. Realising the potential to collaborate with other creatives, she reached out to artists and makers across South Wales, and the response was overwhelming.
With the building already furnished and requiring minimal preparation, AnnMarie transformed the space into a magical hub of creativity, described as “an Aladdin’s cave” of beautiful, unique creations. The back room now serves as an art studio, where AnnMarie and her mum Mary work on their creations and prepare for their paint-and-sip evenings and art therapy sessions.
When informed that they had been selected as the Bargoed winner, AnnMarie said:
“We at Reverie are absolutely over the moon to have won the Bargoed Christmas shop window dressing competition! The biggest thank you should go to all the incredible local artists and makers who helped create such an enchanting display. Their handmade pieces gave the window its soul, and we added the festive sparkle.
Since opening the feedback from visitors has been amazing – warm, positive, and encouraging. Hearing how much people love the space and the wide variety of handmade work has been incredibly uplifting for all of us involved.
We are truly hoping the public will continue to show their support and choose to buy from talented local artists and makers. If the community embraces our little Creators Market, it will have a much better chance of becoming a long-term fixture in Bargoed – something special that we can all be proud of.”
To congratulate her on her efforts, AnnMarie and her mum Mary were invited to a special presentation with Cllr Jamie Pritchard, Leader of Council, and Cllr Howard Llewellyn, Mayor of Bargoed Town Council. AnnMarie received a festive gift hamper kindly donated by the Town Council, along with a certificate to mark her achievement.
Also highly commended for their entries were The Darts Dungeon (18 High Street) and Bowen’s & La Bamba Barbershop / Awaydayz (24 High Street) who were visited by the Town Mayor and presented with a gift of appreciation and a certificate for their efforts.
Congratulations to AnnMarie and all the talented traders at Reverie – Creators Market, together with all participating businesses across the town centre, for bringing festive cheer and creativity to Bargoed this Christmas!
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