If you’ve ventured into the Market on a Saturday recently, you may have wandered past fruit and flower stalls to the sound of live music. The set comes courtesy of Martin from Jenca Music School, who has partnered with his daughter Aimee to bring an offbeat, fresh addition to the steady rhythm of market life. Huzzah, with its eclectic interiors and artistic products, feels less like a traditional shop and more like a creative hub, where music and art come together.
For Aimee, the starting point was simple, if slightly uncertain. “I came back from uni last summer, and I was still just trying to find something that… was mine,” she said. “My own job, my own thing.” Like many creatives returning to Jersey, she found the landscape difficult to navigate. “The job sector is not great for creatives,” she explained, a reality that ultimately pushed her towards creating her own space rather than waiting for one to appear.
The opportunity came unexpectedly when a vacant unit in the market opened up, just next to Dough. Aimee and her dad, Martin, who runs Jenca Music School, decided to apply. “It was just for fun,” she laughed. “I wasn’t really expecting to get it.” Out of more than 50 applicants, they were shortlisted, interviewed and then offered the space. “They just sent an email saying, ‘you’ve got it’, and I was like, oh my God, now what?”
What followed was a fast-paced few months of planning and painting, pulling together the scene that would eventually become Huzzah. The result is instantly recognisable, drenched in the bright yellows, oranges and pinks that characterise Aimee’s artwork. Inside, the space is filled with prints, cards and gifts, alongside a carefully curated selection of jewellery and objects that feel both playful and considered. Much of the furniture has been sourced second-hand and reworked. “That used to be dark navy blue, and that’s bright yellow now,” she said, pointing across the room. “I’d say the majority of the stuff in here is second-hand and upcycled.”
Huzzah’s partnership with Jenca Music School brings a second layer to what might otherwise have been a standalone creative retail space. Its identity is shaped by that collaboration, which for Martin had obvious benefits. “We don’t really have a front-facing shop,” he explained. “So we were always looking for a shop front.” The market offered a visible space where two branches of creativity could sit alongside each other, and where the school could reach people in a more informal and open way.
Guitars sit among the prints, some for sale, others waiting to be personalised by Aimee herself. “You can come in, bring your guitar and if you want it personalised, I can paint it for you,” she said. Alongside this, Jenca Music School is offering lessons, with plans to make sign-ups available directly in the shop. “We’re excited to be providing live music in the market as well,” Martin said. “There’s actually live music today outside, for the opening.” Over time, this will expand to include students, teachers and visiting performers, turning the space into a regular platform for emerging musicians.
“Combining art and music kind of makes sense,” Aimee said. The idea of a creative corner in the market is a bright and colourful one, but it also reflects a broader ambition to showcase local artists and give them the exposure needed to sustain their work. Martin echoed this. “The whole ethos of what Aimee’s trying to do here is promote local artists 100%,” he said. “A lot of these artists don’t have an opportunity to display their work like this.”
For Aimee, working alongside her dad has been one of the most meaningful parts of the process. “Being at uni, you just don’t get to see your parents as much,” she said. “So getting to spend more time with my dad on something that’s so special, it’s really lovely.” That closeness translates into the space itself, where the structure of a long-established music school meets the instinct and experimentation of a young artist building something for the first time.
The newness comes with its own challenges. Aimee admits it can feel “very intimidating.” “I’ve definitely got imposter syndrome,” she said, when asked how it feels to open a business. But that uncertainty is also part of what drives the project forward. “I just wanted a new big adventure… something to push myself.”
Looking ahead, Huzzah is planning workshops, with a rotating programme of activities from lino printing to collage and felting, aimed at creating a more social, hands-on creative environment. “I think that’s kind of the point,” Aimee said. “Especially being a younger person that’s in Jersey… you kind of see that Jersey is lacking in areas to do with activities.” The aim is to offer an open, informal space that feels accessible, particularly to younger people looking for alternatives to more traditional social scenes. With time, passing footfall and a growing sense of curiosity, Huzzah feels like a small, bright corner that might quietly grow into something much bigger.
