Barefoot Ceramics was something of a leap of faith for Paul and Fiona Jefferies when they decided to set up the business about a year and a half ago.

The couple had wanted to work together and thought the idea of pot painting was a great one - so they took the plunge.

Paul was working at the Patent Office in Newport at the time but didn't want to spend his life behind a desk. Fiona had been a primary school teacher, had worked in a library and had a degree in chemistry - so the whole venture was totally new to both of them.

Barefoot Ceramics is a place you can go to 'paint a pot'. It caters for children's parties, corporate team building and general customers who are keen to let rip with their artistic tendencies and create something truly unique.

The pots, plates, mug etc are all provided as are the paints and the kiln to fire the pots once they are painted.

Barefoot has recently started offering customers the chance to throw their own pots and have installed a potter's wheel.

The couple, who have a nine-month-old baby Jakob, are pleased that they chose Charles Street as the base for their business.

Paul said: "It has great charm and all the traders are independent. The street has great potential and looking to the future we are sure it will be more tempting to other retailers."

Bridget Arnold may only have been running her own business for less than two years, but her experience in retailing is really second to none.

The owner of Cherry Hill has previously had top jobs with M+S and House of Fraser. She has a degree in interior textile design and she worked for a production company in London which helped foreign stores get the British look for their outlets.

Just step through the door at Cherry Hill, at the top of Charles Street, and you'll see that Bridget has got a great eye. All the products she sells ooze style - but they are all very reasonably priced as you will soon find out when you visit.

It is the place to go if you are looking for something a little bit different for yourself, your home or a gift.

She loves being on Charles Street because of the traders and the individual service you will get from each of them.

If you pop into her shop but don't see what you want from one of her suppliers, she is more than likely able to get what you want from them. She holds a lot of exclusive lines from handbags to jewellery and from accessories for your home to toiletries.

She said the same is true for many of her fellow traders on Charles Street and she is keen for the shoppers in the city to venture away from the main shopping street and take a trip up Charles Street to see what's on offer - she thinks they may be pleasantly surprised.

Frank Hurley came to Charles Street 26 years ago to take over a newsagents - which is now known as Franks.

He previously ran a grocery store in Queens Hill but wanted to get out of the grocery business and the newsagents on Charles Street became available.

Frank said: "We sell religious articles as well as being a newsagents and it was important for us to be close to St mary's RC Church on Stow Hill."

The shop has a good regular client base for the newsagents business and it also has a much larger catchment area for the religious articles it stocks, with people coming from all over the area and the Valleys.

Franks stocks religious pictures, rosaries, hymn books, prayer books and music among its religious articles. It is also the place to go for first communion souvenirs.

Frank likes where his business is based. "There is a good mix on Charles Street of different trades and we have three of four cafes/restaurants which also attract the customers. "I like the fact that they are all independent traders on the street. In other places they have been priced out but here they seem to have survived," said Frank.

G Davies is one of those Newport institutions.

Set up in 1964, the shop was inspired by an uncle of the original owner who was in the RAF during the war and who was keen on photography.

Originally there were three shops in the chain, including Oxford and Exeter. The business was split up and now the Newport store is owned by Malcolm Davies, son of the original owner. "Charles Street is a street of individual businesses which makes it quite unique in Newport," he said. "It is a bit off the beaten track, but it is well worth a visit. We have good customer loyalty in Charles Street. They may well have to walk up a hill to get here, but they will do it."

G Davies is a camera shop which has seen its business change quite rapidly over the last few years. "The biggest change has been digital photography. We have adapted by trying to keep one step ahead of the changes. Those changes are far more rapid than they were in the old days. Where before there was a big demand for home processing equipment now it is for printers, inks and papers. We do still cater for those people who do it the old way but the home user demand has fallen dramatically."