Southampton artisan furniture firm Still & Bloom marks first year growing in larger factory

Still & Bloom, the Hampshire-based artisan furniture business which was born during the pandemic, has celebrated its first year since moving to a larger factory.

The Southampton firm moved to the new site 12 months ago in a bid to increase capacity after founder Nick Fisher, 35, took a gamble in expanding the venture by taking on a second workshop in the city.

It was a big move for the business, which started out as a side project to make a little money during the pandemic while another of Nick’s ventures was put on hold.

Nick said: “I’ve always loved furniture and design, especially when it combines making practical things beautiful – whether that’s a storage unit or somewhere to hang your coat – because why wouldn’t you want something functional and stylish?”

Still & Bloom started out small, with Nick designing a range of side tables using reclaimed wood, building them in his garage.

Positive feedback from his friends and family saw Nick soon launching on the online selling platform Etsy, becoming one of the site’s top sellers in the UK within a year.

From there Nick expanded, launching a dedicated website for Still & Bloom.

“We were offering something no one else was doing; our line of coffee tables, console tables and dining tables are all hand made.

“We don’t have a physical shop but that helps keep the price low for our customers and our online store is incredibly popular. It was important for me to keep the price as low as possible too as I wanted my furniture to be accessible.

“There’s also no big shipping container coming in from half way across the world and we are proud of our green credentials.”

Nick’s passion for both the environment and using sustainable materials has also seen him sign up to a tree planting initiative.

He hopes that the quality of his designs paired with their reasonable price sets him apart from his competition.

Nonetheless, the new workshop felt like a big move.

Nick said: “We were already employing 12 people and to move to a larger workshop felt huge. But we believe in our products and I have got the best team around me so we just wanted to give it a go and its paid off.”

Nick now employs 24 people in his workshops across the city and delivers his furniture across the country.

Nick said: “It’s been the most fantastic year, but I couldn’t do it without the team and our amazing customers.”

• https://www.stillandbloom.co.uk/

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