It’s high time we told you a little about the fantastic use of Pithay Studios’ reception, so without further ado, over to Helen:

I met my business partner, Annie, just a few months back, and having met weekly for chats about our respective clothing lines, it soon became clear that we had bigger plans. After very quickly deciding to take on the old Fitness First gym space on All Saints Street, in Broadmead, we formed plans to start a business with a strong ethos of reuse – and we wanted to begin with the business start up itself!

All the fixtures and fittings, from sofas to plates, hangers to the till, have all been donated from local sources – including individuals, incredibly supportive local businesses, and the members of Bristol ReUse group.Working with meanwhile Creative, who repurpose unused spaces for the use of creative projects and small businesses, we scrubbed, polished, painted and generally molded the donations we had received into a working cafe and shop.

Now the Phoenix is up and running, we want to grow into a truly community focussed space – a centre for  learning, sharing and where Bristolians can experience the amazing range of goods produced locally. We’ve learned a lot about building a business, upcycling, waste, and sticking to your beliefs, even when it seems like madness to do so. We’d like to share what we have learned with you on this blog, alongside the exciting developments that are coming up – please subscribe and let us know your feedback!