Bespoke Barware: A Hackney business

Bespoke Barware is a new business based in Hackney Wick, creating unique items for homes and businesses. We are currently running a competition to win one of their creations (over here), so we caught up with Sally Curtis to find out more about what they do:

Tell us more about Bespoke Barware?

Bespoke Barware is a new sister company to Cheeky Tiki who have years of experience in design and production within the bar world, creating some of the most colourful and unique drinking vessels and establishment – notably Mahiki, Kanaloa, Lola Lo and most recently Bodos Schloss and Tonteria. We launched Bespoke Barware because of, and to focus on our expertise in producing and sourcing amazing vessels.

Hackney Wick isn’t known for it’s polynesian tableware, what made you start the business?

We moved here from Stoke Newington earlier this year so that we could have a much bigger space for our workshop and in-house pottery. Bespoke Barware design and sell products to bars and the general public the world over, so it’s great to be in an area with good transport links (East London line) and plenty of space for our artisanal and creative team to grow.

As it’s not a space open to the public, we’re not necessarily opening in a space which we’ve chosen because of a good amount of footfall for example.  From our point of view, we really wanted to have a good amount of space in which to work, and also this was by far the nicest and most creative industrial park we found in East London – the others were all pretty bleak!

What do you love about Hackney?

It’s a great upcoming area, especially after the Olympics, with a really cool vibe – literally next door we have The Crate Brewery where we spend many a happy pizza-filled lunch hour!

What advice would you give to anyone looking to start a business in Hackney?

Go for it now! There’s a lot of scope for creative businesses here and lots of lovely places to take clients for meetings!

What’s the most unusual item you have imported or created?

We’re sourcing constantly from all over the world, and being asked to produce all kinds of vessels from Mexican wrestler heads through to the Maggie Thatcher head mug for Maggies! The unusual is pretty usual around here! At the moment we’re researching sauna products for our Alpine/Christmas collection!

What are your hopes for the business?

want to create more and more weird and wonderful vessels and we want the public to be a big part of this – not just the big bars – we want these weird and wonderful vessels in people’s homes, at their big parties, weddings, and more!