Creative life hidden under town’s arches

“WE’VE got a bit of a buzz about the arches today because we want to fill them up,” says business enterprise manager at the arches Gayle Spencer as she welcomes us in.

The ‘creative arches’ is made up of eight bright and atmospheric premises beneath railway arches off Court Street, and last week held one of its regular ‘speed networking’ events where people and firms in the creative industries showcase their work.

Launched in September 2009 - bang in the middle of the UK recession - the arches welcomed its first tenant, IT services company Kodex, in January this year and its second, Progression Imaging, in June. Gayle is keen to take on more during the coming year.

She says: “It’s fair to say that the current financial climate has created a slower uptake than we would have hoped. But we are seeing there is a lot of resistance out there and people are fighting.

“This space has character. It’s unique and has a certain charm.”

Each arch is unique in its layout and size so rents vary, but they start at £7,000 per year, making them a realistic option for many.

Among those to have expressed an interest is Leamington artist Paul Cuff, who is considering renting an arch along with two other artists. He has taken the opportunity of this open day to exhibit some paintings and meet others.

He says: “I am currently working from home and my home is very small. I have a very low ceiling and beams, so it’s very difficult.

“Here it’s a nice light space. It’s good for working in and exhibiting, it’s got enough space for all three of us to exhibit at the same time and we can pool our resources.”

Furniture refurbisher Catherine Shepherd, also showcasing her business, says she would do the same if she could find other self-employed people in the same or similar trade to herself.

She says: “This is a fantastic space here. If there were two or three other people like me here, I would definitely be attracted to setting up a base in an arch.

“It would be amazing. There is a car park, easy access, a lovely light space which can show your products off.

“There are people like me who just cannot afford to do it on their own, but if you have got others, it would be perfect.”

Once the decision has been taken to invest in the space, is it worth it? The husband-and-wife team behind Progression, who have only been here for six months, certainly think so.

Russell Barker and his wife Beatriz Fernandez set up the venture, which creates images for catalogues and magazines, two-and-a-half years ago when they were living just north of London.

They soon built up a strong client base, working with big names such as John Lewis, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer as well as smaller companies.

But their main client is the Leamington-based underwear firm, Bravissimo, which is what brought them to the town.

Russell says: “The industry has evolved on the digital side, so we are increasingly producing images for online sales, meaning they really have to show detail so that the customer can see what they are considering buying.

“We find this place an incredible option for a multi-use studio. Because we have so much space in here, everything is movable, so rather than having photography separate from design, we can do it all in this room.

“We have the height and the maximum amount of white background to capture a nice image. And it’s great to be around other creatives.

“Leamington has a lot of young people who are very creative. It has all the assets of London.”

Beatriz adds: “We are very like our neighbours Kodex so we are working together on projects and creating a little community here.

“When we moved to Leamington, we were working at home until we found this place. That’s fine for our existing clients, but in order to grow it was imperative that we moved somewhere. It just seems more professional.

“This is a fantastic place to work in. We are so happy to be here.”

It also seems the arches’ location in the heart of Old Town can be an advantage due to the established firms surrounding the site.

As well as the Althorpe Enterprise Hub around the corner, Hybrid Arts is just streets away in Spencer Yard and other creative individuals are spread around the area.

Among those who have come to showcase their work are Liz Drake Photography, Warwickshire Artists, SewArty and Lizzy Sleeman of Coventry-based O&O Vintage, which supplies Urban Outfitters’ Renewals range. Also here is Dave Steele, who runs Support-Mac.com and SouthTownDigital.com, which are both a few paces away from the arches in Clemens Street.

Keen to meet others and promote what he does at the open day, he feels he can work well with the companies that base themselves there.

He says: “We support people who use Apple Macs at home and at work, and a lot of our clients are creative businesses because they tend to use Macs.

“I do most of my work remotely now, but Leamington is a great place to be if I do need to travel because of its good transport links.”

Any firms or individuals interested in viewing the arches should call Gayle Spencer on 333222 or email [email protected]