In many ways our journey as a business began through our involvement in UNIT 11, an industrial unit in Bristol that from around 2019 onwards grew from an empty, cold and damp concrete space into a vibrant colourful shared workshop, maker and storage facility.
Strongly influenced by alternative culture and the UK festival and live-in vehicle scene, and in bygone years also once home to the CHAMP Bristol Artist Collective, the unit had descended into something of a sorry state until we got involved with it. Thanks to the unexpected sudden increase in free time for all during the Covid-19 pandemic, a team of friends got stuck in to re-modelling and decorating the space! In the years that followed it came to be the HQ and main base for a travelling festival venue, as well as a temporary workspace, for varying degrees of time, to over 50 different individuals and small businesses.
As well as the festival and outdoor event stuff, the space was shared and used by wood-workers, graffiti artists, van converters, silversmiths, screen-printers, model makers and many more!
Seeing so many different creative practises and inspiring independent businesses under one roof for short and long term periods of time led to the idea for the formation of Offbeat Spaces as a company, and the projects we have subsequently gone on to be a part of in the years that have followed. As far as we’re aware, Unit 11 continues to this day too! Serving those in need of short or long term affordable and flexible creative space in our city.
