TALENTED painters and photographers have an ideal shop window for their creations, thanks to Prestwich businesswoman Joanne Ketley.

The 28-year-old qualified textile designer has just opened her own up-market Fusion shop in Bury Old Road, Whitefield, which acts a virtual showcase for her works and for the artistic endeavours of others.

She is selling a range of paintings, photographs, glass and ceramics and hopes the shop will act as a magnet to rich city dwellers now moving into newly-completed flats developments in the area.

Joanne, a former pupil of Prestwich High School, studied textile design for five years at Bury College and Cheshire College and gained a HND. This is her first sole retail venture and Fusion was established with the help of a £2,000, two-year Prince's Trust loan.

Previously, she was involved in a rather diverse range of jobs. She was a professional bra fitter at a top Manchester department store and also worked as a stylist in a now-defunct city photography and makeover company.

In her spare time, Joanne is a painter with a penchant for abstracts. And some of her works, together with those of other Manchester-based artists, are on sale at Fusion.

The new shop also stocks a range of glass and ceramics. She is anxious that local people involved in these particular artistic fields contact her with a view to supplying their creations for sale.

Joanne said: "I would say that everything I sell has a retro feel to it, from the '60s and '70s. I come from an artistic background and the paintings and photographs for sale at my shop have been supplied by artists and photographers from all over the Manchester area.

"To be honest, I've never sold any of my paintings. But I've about half a dozen of my own in the shop. So, perhaps that will change."

Establishing her own retail outlet has allowed Joanne to indulge in her love of interior design as well as providing her with the opportunity to present one-off artistic pieces. "There's nothing like this around here at the moment," she says.