South East Creatives encourages businesses in the creative, cultural and digital sectors to take advantage of a new £5.1 million grants and support programme.
Each month our case studies highlight a programme recipient. This month we are showcasing Claire Rickner.
About Me:
I’m Claire and I own The Upcycled Trading Company. Having previously worked as an interior designer I developed a great appreciation for older, quality furniture. My love of upcycling grew from a hobby to a side-line to the basis for a business focused on sustainable, eco-friendly and locally sourced interiors and lifestyle products. I sell upcycled furniture, accept commissions to upcycle customers furniture or pieces I supply as well as selling paints and accessories for customers to carry out their own projects. I also run workshops demonstrating and assisting with hands on practice so that customers can achieve the best results when purchasing paint from me. To compliment this theme I stock handmade products by local artisans and makers as well as recycled and eco-friendly home accessories and gifts.
How South East Creatives (SECCADS) has supported my business:
I was invited to take part in a workshop aimed at creative businesses and I found it to be incredibly beneficial. The two days were broken up into separate subjects which covered things like how to make the most from social media, legal considerations such as intellectual property, financial knowledge relevant to creative businesses and more. The workshops were pitched well, being entertaining as well as informative and just long enough to get the important stuff across whilst keeping us all engaged.
The workshop became a great networking opportunity as well as providing such useful advice and information. I met some talented and interesting people and have kept in touch with a couple of the participants who either already had a business on The Old High Street or like me were planning to.
Click here to find out more about The Upcycled Trading Company
