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Michael Whitworth
Helping Portland Basin Reimagine Their Retail Offer
I recently had the great pleasure of helping Portland Basin Museum in Tameside review their product rangers and suppliers as they look to reopening with the aim of realigning their offer in line with their ethos and collections. This was a brilliant opportunity for any consultant who loves Industrial Archaeology Sites and is a devotee of sustainable trade, and allowed me to demonstrate what could be achieved by thinking outside the box and using sustainable trading companies to bring in exciting green ranges that relate to Industrial Heritage Venues. These are just a few of the ideas that came together over the process and work perfectly in this terrific venues canal side setting. These ranges ticked the boxes for both sustainable suppliers and unique objects directly relating to collections here.
Circular & Co.
– A Cornish Company with a strong eco ethos it produces all its products from recycled materials such as single use coffee cups, plastics, old slate, broken plant pots etc. Its range is extensive covering Homewares, Garden, and House ranges.
Nutscene
– A UK company in Forfar they preserve the heritage of British Jute manufacture retailing their jute produced traditionally on machinery dating back to 1922. They also use old spools, shuttles and bobbins in a garden range that would fit well in any area with a history in the textile industry.
Black Country Metal Works
– A UK foundry based in Shropshire amongst other ranges it produces a range of traditional canal ware in traditional “Roses and Castle” patterns and colours in their Canal Art Buckby range. They take trade orders and also have a range of modern canal chandlery for boats.
Kate Thornton Cards
–Is a British Artist who produces a range of greeting cards and prints from her studio in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. She has also been working closely with independent shops, galleries and museums for over a decade. By the joining together of vintage materials, pops of colour and a simple graphic style creates contemporary work that has both historic and personal connection. A connection made between people, place and natural landscapes in the use of old maps. Kate works in paper-cut, drawing, printmaking and digital design to produce print and stationery collections.