Hello there! Welcome to our blog. Browsing through this website, one might pause for a minute and wonder: Why we do what we do? What inspired us to set up a business based on a social enterprise model and operate co-working spaces? It’s certainly not to become millionaires – the margins are pretty tight at the best of times!
As freelancers and small business owners, it’s less about making significant money and more about doing something that’s meaningful and enhances how we work – long-lasting and focused on collaboration with a DIY ethos. We all need space to work from, and whilst working from home is ideal for some, for many others it’s claustrophobic and leads to procrastination and weak productivity. Sharing co-working buildings with others is a win-win deal. For us, it’s provided a base from which to work on our various creative and business ventures, and for everyone who’s passed through or still with us, we hope it’s been a platform to work from and benefit from great quality of service, affordability and a community-driven environment with lots of potential for networking and inspiration.
Less than two years into operating our studio spaces in Bristol, UK, we’ve already seen a tangible, short and long-term impact. Bristol’s always had a creative flair, it’s famous for it and people move here from all over the country! Sadly prices for good quality workspace and commercial property have begun to reach an unsustainable level, and there’s a distinct lack of flexibility. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the city had seen its fair share of established venue closures and ‘pricing out’. For up and coming businesses, non-profit focused creatives and freelancers of today, the increasing difficulties involved with finding somewhere to work or a studio space to rent in Bristol are now very apparent That’s what inspired us (along with having a lot of free time during the pandemic!) and led to the creation of The Old Drumbank Studios, hopefully the first in a line of multi-disciplinary creative spaces.