The Bolthole was established in the Summer of 2019 when we (interior designer, Debra Harris and textile designer Sarah Fennell) discovered a common design ethos and decided to share a studio at Maws Craft Centre in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire. We began to explore our shared interest in sourcing vintage furniture, fabric and furnishings and so our studio became a hub for creatives looking to uncover new ways of making a home with old things.
Passionate about introducing people to traditional and heritage crafts and encouraging the re-use of beautiful, well-made vintage pieces, we launched a programme of design and upcycling workshops. These quickly took off and soon created the need for more space than our little studio could offer.
So less than a year after it all started, we moved… and now have a beautiful new home, ‘The Bolthole Store’, in the heart of Ironbridge, a World Heritage Site.
At the same time, we were joined by Claire, an incredible baker who used to provide cakes for our workshops. Founder of ‘Queenies’, one of the region’s best-known cupcake brands, she’s been the driving force being the establishment of our ‘Cakebar’, a quiet spot serving delicious cakes, coffee and lots of local treats.
‘A Bolthole’ is traditionally a place of refuge and sanctuary, away from the craziness outside. For us, our new store is a creative oasis and haven from the humdrum, so it seemed the perfect name.
There, now you know x
A fantastically talented interior designer, furniture restorer and marketing guru. Willing to help anyone with anything, Debra is very generous with her time for others.
Great with advice, wisdom and homemade soup, she’s full of anecdotes about her time living in Bosnia, the London city career and the Victorian rectory she restored and turned into an award-winning boutique B&B. I’ve told her she needs to start writing her autobiography because it would fly off the shelves and be a best seller.
An incredibly inspiring woman, she’s an amazing business partner and friend who makes coming to work an absolute pleasure. I just wish she didn’t have so many chairs!
Sarah is the youngest member of The Bolthole team and the one with most joyful giggle. She’s an absolutely awesome fabric designer whose unique technique and eye for colour blows me away. She’s a whizz on social media, is great fun to share with and is getting better at making tea.
She surprises me every day with her creative flair and gift for seeing things in a new light and, if I had to change anything about her, it would be to stop her feeding my dog treats.
Woof! I’m Jack and I am by far the most important member of The Bolthole team. I look after the studio and make sure Sarah and Debra are not kidnapped by intruders (they call them customers), eat too much or spend too much time chatting.
Basically, I’m in charge and I take my managerial responsibilities very seriously. They involve lots of barking, begging for titbits and rolling on my back, although, apparently, I’m easily lured away from my guard post by the promise of treats or walks along the River Severn.
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