We need your nice words
We’re now into our fourth week of trading and while things are going well we know they can’t last like this. So far the shop has been run on a shoestring by folk who, frankly, are making it up as they go along. Which is fine but if this is going to continue past May in some form we’re going to need a much more solid base which, given we’re not a big commercial retailer, is probably going to require some financial support from the funding agencies.
We’ve been astonished by the goodwill and positive feedback we’ve had from people over the last few weeks. It quickly became clear that we’re doing something more than running a neat little shop. This thing seems mean something important to people.
The problem is these passionate words haven’t been recorded. We’ve got some students coming in later this week to interview random shoppers and we’ve finally got a guest book for people to leave comments, but we need more.
We need you to write us short testimonials. Why do you think the shop is important? What need does it address? Why does it need to be in a busy shopping area? What do you like about it? That sort of thing.
Two or three paragraphs would be great but feel free to write more or less. Whatever you have the time or inclination to do.
Many people have said “it’s about time Brum had something like this” but if we’re to have this continue in some form we need to identify exactly what “this” is and explain why Brum needs it to those with the power to make it happen.
You can leave your message in the comments here (please leave a full name) or email them to createdinbirmingham@gmail.com with “Testamonial” in the subject.
Once we’ve got a bunch of feedback we’ll figure out what the next stage is and move on to that.
Thank you.
Hi Pete, hope this helps.
It’s wonderful to be creative. Something that is even better is to be creative and have a forum in which to share that creativity. For people like me, who perform, the stage is my forum. Created in Birmingham have given a forum for Birmingham’s artists and creative people to use so that they can share there art with their community. The location makes this forum amazingly accessible. How great to find an independant store in the heart of a major city shopping centre. It’s hip yet quirky and has a really interesting mix of craft, design and art. I enjoyed my visit and purchased a great piece of art which I may not have seen but for this shop. My 15 year old daughter came in and thought it was cool, she liked the kitsch jewellery. It would be great to see CDs, Short films by local musicians and directors available, and some more craft and ornaments. I really hope it goes from strength to strength.
onerubberband
March 23, 2010 at 11:55 pm
I was told about your shop via Twitter because I tweeted that I was visiting Birmingham on Sunday 21 March 2010. I thought it was great and really liked the work that was in there. It is brilliant that local artists can have somewhere to show and, hopefully, sell their work without having to tout it around galleries. I hope you succeed in your venture.
Wendy Cook
March 24, 2010 at 12:00 pm
For me, the CIB shop and its offerings – as well as the Flatpack festival – represent just what Birmingham can and should be: not glossy, but authentic and special. Things that make your stay worthwhile and unique because you can’t get them anywhere else.
Your choice of products put a grin on my face that stayed for a while. While quite a bit of my quid stayed with you. Liked the staff and loved the grassroots atmosphere. Or the other way round.
Michael Rudolf
March 24, 2010 at 12:21 am
To me, the CIB shop is really important for Birmingham and the Bullring. We have so many clone shops you could be in any shopping centre in the UK or pretty much the western world. We need something that identifies us and says what a fantastic and creative place this is. It is just brilliant to have a place where Birmingham artists and craftspeople can make their work accessible and available. There is a real market for that kind of individual and unique work. I hope the shop grows and grows and continues to have the support of the key agencies in the city and region.
Paul Hanna
March 24, 2010 at 6:22 am
The CIBshop brings a sense of place to the Bullring which, for all its scale and success, lacks an identity anchored in its host city.
But CIBshop should only be the thin end of the wedge: an opportunity to, literally, be a shop-window for locally distinctive work and a signpost to other parts of the city.
CIBshop has already started to draw in other activities, like Flatpack. I think it needs to build on this and establish a track record as a “hub” and one-stop ‘taster’ location for the breadth and depth of Brum creative work.
And, for funding agencies to consider: a prime location, an established identity, a trading record, a cohort of dedicated operators and a hatful of goodwill ? These are all assets to be leveraged in achieving the objectives of supporting Birmingham’s creative industries.
Karl Held
March 24, 2010 at 7:30 am
I’d be happy to offer some practical support with bid writing. In particular you might want to consider the Retail Development Programme funding. There is a Bull Ring precedent as well.
Dave Harte
March 24, 2010 at 9:12 am
I’m happy to donate 10 hours of my proofreading services for free on any bid documents you put together, if you’d find that useful. Used to be a contracts manager so used to the format etc.
LyzzyBee
March 24, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Our city centre is currently dominated by chain stores, bars and restaurants so it seems very fitting that CiB have set up shop in the Bullring where these places could not be more at large. There is of course nothing wrong with these chain outlets as they quite obviously boost Birmingham’s profile as a great place to shop, but what they add to the city’s reputation feels superficial. It will be the weird and wonderful creative and independent ideas and setups that build and develop our city centre’s character, and the CiB shop is a great showcase of the creative talent the city houses. Often creative people struggle to turn their creative ideas into fully functioning business ventures, lets hope this provides inspiration for more people to look to do so in Birmingham City Centre.
Hats off to the Bullring for supporting this project, and to the CiB team for nurturing Birmingham’s creative talent, we salute you.
Jamie B
March 24, 2010 at 10:05 am
Created In Birmingham is a quirky shop and ultimately a friendly design museum that people in Birmingham are proud of. I’m only a student here, but I think it would be amazing if this had a ‘knock on effect’ and more cities and towns try to bring people together in such a way that everyone can be a part of and enjoy.
K Leslie
March 24, 2010 at 11:48 am
In a city where chain stores take up the majority of retail space, the CiB shop is a little haven. A collection of wonderful creative offerings from Birmingham artists for people to buy, experience and enjoy. CiB allows local artists to sell their work – not just in a little market stall (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) but in a busy shopping center where the reach is much further. Shoppers of the Bullring may not come across what CiB has to sell if it were tucked away somewhere remote, so this is a chance for people to see what the creative community of Birmingham is all about. CiB is a truly unique and wonderful place – a chance for artists to sell their works and a chance for people to buy those works – all in the very center of our beloved Birmingham City Center.
CiB – Real potential for artists to get their work out, a chance to bring something new to the people of Birmingham and a beautiful, unique shopping experience in the Bullring. It would be a true shame if it has to disappear completely.
Amanda Fitzhenry
March 24, 2010 at 11:50 am
In a market place and an age dominated by the Global chains im sure we all recognise its more important than ever that small industries and creative people have an inclusive share in the market place,having dealt with the store both as a seller and a purchaser I KNOW they are trading fairly,ethically and directly – no one is being ripped off here , at CIB you can buy truly unique and affordable art/products which helps to support many people trying to gain some autonomy in the world ,it also really encourages others to think what they too could create in their lives and so its inspiring in that sense-so you could even argue that it is educationally and culturally important that people have a market place- a voice in their own city , it helps bring unity ,creativity and fairness to a society which needs it more than ever.
Gareth
March 24, 2010 at 11:53 am
I would like to echo what many others have said: the Bullring and most of the central shopping area of Birmingham is crammed with clone shops. When walking through central Birmingham, you could be on any shopping street in Britain.
The CiB shop demonstrates a glimmer of hope, that at some point in the future the centre of Birmingham might begin to exhibit some kind of individuality. CiB offers something to the Birmingham creatives which hasn’t previously existed, and I would be devastated to it go.
I hope that the CiB shop remains, and I also sincerely hope that it heralds a promise of progress for independent and creative shops in the city centre.
Well done to everyone involved: the shop is a great idea, and even if it doesn’t stick around, it has been a very positive move.
If it does stick around, cram it with stuff! Make it a vibrant and buzzing place, and fill those empty spaces.
Rosie
March 24, 2010 at 11:57 am
Testimonial
Birmingham as we ‘the locals’ know it is thriving full of creativity and energy, however this doesn’t seem obvious and apparent to outsiders or people not within the creative industries, there is not many outlets for creative people here and what we risk is loosing a lot of this local talent for people wanting to leave for bigger brighter things. We need a city that supports its young and emerging artists and certainly there has never been a more important time to educate people about the importance of creativity at a time where it is what our society needs the most. CIB to be situated where it is is also important because it makes people realise that art is not an elitist club but something for everybody to be shared.
Charlotte Evans
March 24, 2010 at 11:57 am
I think the Created In Birmingham store is an ingenious idea and it’s something that EVERY city or town really ought to have. It’s personal and cultural – and really makes a town more ‘real’. I’m really surprised that the idea for this store is not more popular and in other cities. If it caught on it has the potential to blow up and be huge. Unlike what you find in every other store you can almost sense a passion just by walking into Created In Birmingham – as you know that every product inside has been toiled over, you know that someone in the area has used all their hard work, time and effort and put themselves 100% into what they’ve created, whether it be jewellery, paintings, zines or clothing. It’s a great experience for ‘tourists’ from outside of Birmingham to find in the Bullring. It’s different from the other shops that sell the same ol’ thing you’ll find in every branch of the UK. The uniqueness makes it attractive.
Maybe you could get part of a wall – or up on the ceiling – as a collage or something, put aside for other Birmingham based companies to advertise. That way there’s funding but the funders are still independent local companies, so it would add to the ‘Created In Birmingham’ shop, and they get something out of it by having their name in the store in an arty, creative way.
It would be a shame if the CIB shop couldn’t become a permanent store. It really does deserve to be a part of Birmingham city centre and Birmingham heritage.
Shari - Black Velvet Magazine
March 24, 2010 at 12:06 pm
The Created in Birmingham shop is a such a brilliant, interesting, creative idea. The shop allows Artists, photographers, designers, clothes makers, musicians, writers and anyone creative to have a central place to showcase their work. There couldn’t be a better place than right inside the bull ring’s entrance. CiB is a local shop for local people but has an international interest too with the millions on tourists that have visited Birmingham and the Bull Ring in recent years.
At the least CiB has entered the world on commercial retail with a bang. At the most CiB could launch careers of those from Birmingham into international stardom.
Birmingham is the Second City and it being the true Capital of Culture this shown through the CiB shop. CiB is a hub for all that is good and creative about Birmingham.
It promote Birmingham as a city with ambition and it goes to show you don’t have to go to London to see the arts.
With ideas of a Tate Birmingham floating around this could transform the City. CiB sits along side BMAG and all of its institutions as well as Ikon and Ikon eastside and very importantly its works along side the Flatpack Film Festival. All these great things and now a shop to shoe it all off and bring it all together.
Connar O'keeffe
March 24, 2010 at 12:11 pm
Please keep it going. My birthday last weekend was very much enhanced by trinkets from CiB shop. You now have sentimental as well as creative value for us!
Andy Brittain
March 24, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I think the Created in Birmingham shop is an ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT idea. We don’t have anything like this in Brum and I’m proud as a Brummie to have something that I can be noticed as a creative person.
I think they are really onto something here, just look at how busy it’s been and how people have become involved, it’s given a real sense of community with all creative types becoming involved. I truely hope it continues for time to come.
Sara x
Sara Nicklin
March 24, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I think the shop is really great, really interesting and inspiring. I would really like it to stay as there is certainly a lack of art/book/design like shops in Birmingham which is pretty bad considering we are meant to be the second biggest city.
I also think at this slightly depressing time the country is in now (with financial worries), this quirky shop brings a nice feel to the place and it would be great if it could continue to inspire creativity in fellow artists, and even get other people whom may not be a photographers/illustrators etc… interested aswell.
So i do hope to see the shop still there in months to come, even if it isnt in the bullring, maybe somewhere else in Birmingham…though i think it looks great in the bullring and adds something a little different and individual to the main shopping place in the city.
Charlotte Chapman
March 24, 2010 at 12:22 pm
The funding agencies should get their cheque book out.
CIB has taken the bold and brave move to set up this wonderful, unique shop in the heart of Birmingham, daring to pitch itself against the Global chains selling unique, inspiring, locally produced art and crafts.
Birmingham has lost, like man other cities around the country, it’s artistic and cultural voice amidst the Corporate mass produced rubbish that has flooded our High Streets and Shopping Malls.
There was a time not so long ago that small independent boutiques, designers and retail outlets were dotted all around Birmingham City Centre, my sister owned one, now occupied by Louis Vitton! These small businesses couldn’t compete nor survive the ridiculously high rents and rates levels set by greedy landlords for Global Chains. They have long since been pushed out by soaring rents and of course the development of the Bullring – you’ve only got to look at the graveyards that are The Great Western Arcade and City Plaza to understand the true impact this had had on our City.
More and more Brummies are growing tired of the Bullring, choosing to stay at home and search and shop online for that something unique and special, regardless of where this may be created or shipped from. Surely it would be beneficial for all to have those pounds spent in shops such as Created In Birmingham rather than in Ohio, USA! It supports their business and the artists, crafters and photographers who sell their work there. It raises awareness of the quality of creative work produced in this City and gives shoppers a new reason to come back into the City to shop.
Don’t just buy British, buy Brummie!
(and get your cheque book out funding agencies)
Andrea Daniels
March 24, 2010 at 12:41 pm
The CIB shop is a welcome addition to the shopping landscape of Birmingham but to describe it thus is to risk being dismissive. There’s a creative energy that crackles from the walls and the staff working in the shop- one can’t help but be deeply stirred and inspired by what’s been achieved in a short space of time. The CIB shop taps into the deep heritage of the region and shows that the makers and creative dreamers are the coal that fire the engine of industry in the region. This is more than “just a shop” this is something exciting, juicy and creative- just what Birmingham needs right now.
Ben W
March 24, 2010 at 1:16 pm
What’s most brilliant about the Created in Birmingham shop is it’s location. Birmingham has a thriving creative community and whilst they make every attempt to be outward looking and inviting it’s still very hard to reach out to the entire Birmingham community. If nothing else the shop is the greatest advert money could buy for Birmingham’s arts scene.
Working in the shop i’ve seen such a wide array of people from disparate worlds come in and enjoy the shop. Not only have people made purchases but they’ve frequently offered up opinions, asked questions and actually started debate. What has been particularly great is that it’s been the type of people who you’d never coax down to Digbeth/Moseley that have been most fascinated by the project.
With this busy location we have been able to take art to the masses and attract the attention of people who would not normally engage with the arts. The shop has enhanced the cultural life of so many Birmingham residents. The shops commitment to creating a community space that anyone can use to hold events is inspiring. Culture shouldn’t be confined to theatres and galleries. With all the ticket offers in the world you still won’t get certain people to go to The Rep but if they walk past an intriguing shop in the Bullring whilst shopping they will pop in and they what we’ve seen is that they are coming back too. This isn’t a project appealing to an elite, intellectual few with the aim of making a bit of money for a few local artists. This is the boldest example of ‘arts for the masses’ that Birmingham has ever seen.
The amount of potential this little shop has for encouraging wider engagement with the arts is incomparable to any other venture i can think of. If Birmingham is serious in it’s bid for City of Culture then it needs Created in Birmingham.
aaron
March 24, 2010 at 1:24 pm
The CiB shop is an excellent addition to the Bull Ring. In fact, I have been into the Bull Ring far more often than usual since the shop opened.
The shop offers that vital first opportunity for creative prople to put their work on display and for sale, in a supportive environment, encouraged by other creative people. For the visitor, it’s an opportunity to see the grassroots creative work that’s going on in the city.
I was given the opportunity to start up a temporary BookCrossing Zone in the shop. From the comments we’ve received back on the books so far, I can see that people visiting in the shop have included locals, Londoners, members of the creative community and people dropping in to see what the “little art shop” in the Bull Ring was all about. What a great mix of visitors, all interacting with each other and the items on sale.
LyzzyBee
March 24, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Amongst the usual outlet chains that usually fill these Shopping Centres (or ‘Malls’ as believe the Kids are now calling them?) it’s a refreshing change to find outlets like this which give Brums typically cash strapped creative community a much needed outlet. It really would be a shame if it had to close before it had really found it’s feet
Midge D
March 24, 2010 at 1:37 pm
It’s something to be proud of, something to brag about, something to be invested in, something ahead of the game, something of the future.
Its name also spread to SXSW Interactive at an online arts and crafts panel. No one else was doing anything like it and people came up afterwards to say how far ahead the UK was compared with the US on this front.
There are many awesomes about the CiB Shop.
They should be holding a SXSW how-to talk next year.
FionaC
March 24, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Rather than simply repeat my eloquent predecessors I’ll echo their support. In amongst the gamut of chainstores and franchises, with so little else to differentiate the Bullring from any other mall anywhere else in the country, it’s great to have something that we can truly call our own.
If Birmingham is aiming to be the shopping hub of Europe, then surely our neighbours should be offered a little something truly CiB.
Magnus
March 24, 2010 at 2:41 pm
I totally agree.
Birmingham is home to so many incredibly talented and creative people. It’s fantastic to at last have a place to showcase that home grown talent not least to the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city who never venture outside it’s centre.
It really is a jewel in amongst the generic corporate stores that make up the Bullring.
goldilox
March 24, 2010 at 6:06 pm
The CiB shop is something unique and local! I can’t think of may things that really speak out about Birmingham in such a creative way, especially around the Bullring and city centre. I’ll just be repeating others if I keep writing. Good to see all the support!
Alan Dolhasz
March 24, 2010 at 3:54 pm
birmingham has simply been lacking something like the created in birmingham shop for way too long.
it is a great outlet inspiring local artists to keep creating their works knowing that there is a place where it can be displayed and sold to the public without a huge 50% being taken by a gallery.
it is also good for the public at large to be exposed to all of this diverse local talent. whenever i have been to visit the shop it is full of people who are obviously thrileld to have come across something new and interesting in the bull ring.
lets hope this will become a permanent fixture in our city centre. with birmingham being shortlisted for city of culture this is exactly the kind of thing we need more of.
mark wilkinson
mark wilkinsonma
March 24, 2010 at 4:03 pm
The CiB shop is such a simple concept but one which has really woken up such an anonymous commercial space, reminding us that Brummies don’t just consume but create.
Even as a gallery, meeting space and shop I think we’ve only seen the beginning of the spaces potential and the value it brings to the city.
Marie F
March 24, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Apart from all of the excellent reasons already stated, this shop has the potential of bringing into the BullRing people who otherwise would not enter. Tourists who come from other big cities in the UK may well choose not to spend time in yet another shopping centre, but with this gem of a shop so close to the entrance and to the landmark bull, it could be that it pulls in punters that otherwise wouldn’t bother. This makes it worth the BullRing supporting it too, doesn’t it? Discount rent from the BullRing and discount rates from the Council would go a long way. Plus it is advertising Birmingham talent, which has to be good economics. I hope you manage to pull this off!
Hannah G
March 24, 2010 at 5:13 pm
The Created in Birmingham shop shows the potential the city has, not just from a simplistic view of the goods the creative folk in Birmingham can offer.
Instead, it shows the vision that people have to show off our city, with a coup of a prime location many more people have seen what good things our creative folks can produce. Whether it’s clothing, jewellry, magazines, books, paper, or pictures its there.
It’s an electric mix, of all that is great in Birmingham and it would be a pity to loose it.
Of course it has tremendous heritage, and has helped to spread the word of the Blog. The cycle has come round, whereas once traditional outlets wanted an online presence, a blog has now turned into a physical presence.
There is the potential for this to expand back round 360 into an online retail experience.
It is surely only the start, it has taken it’s time to work out what form the CiB shop should take (from my frequent visits), everytime it grows and you can see it truly invokes a sense of intrigue from passers by who pop in to browse, and talk with the lovely staff.
It’s opened up my eyes to some great things this city has to offer.
Neil H
March 24, 2010 at 5:44 pm
P.S. I bought a lovely Matt Murtagh print in there.
Neil H
March 24, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Probably one of the most individual and unique shops in Birmingham, and definitely the Bullring, to see CiB go would be a crying shame. I know it is only temporary, but hopefully some sort of legacy will follow, either as a permanent resident in the Bullring or in another central location (empty units on Corporation Street??). It is a truly equal opportunist place for local people to see their creations on show and for sale, to make a bit of money from their ideas and hard work, which seems to be quite hard to come by in any other place with no prohibitive outlay. It allows people from all walks of life to see the creative side of Birmingham which sometimes seems pushed into slightly awkward places with no passing trade. A unique souvenir of someones visit to Birmingham can only be positive for the city. Win win I think.
Tanya Upton
March 24, 2010 at 5:54 pm
The CIB shops makes for a refreshing retail experience!
It’s fantastic that CIB have secured a tenancy at the Bullring, it is much deserved.
It offers the public a unique shopping experience. With the contributions from Birmingham’s creative’s, there will always be something new for shoppers to browse and buy. Plus what a space for Birmingham’s talent to show case and sell their work!
It can only be a good thing, for the Bullring, for CIB, for shoppers and for Birmingham’s creative industry for the CIB to continue it’s residence.
Karen Strunks
March 24, 2010 at 6:02 pm
The Created In Birmingham shop beautifully accomplishes something that this city has needed for a long time, and that is a central location to demonstrate the best physical creative output this city can offer.
As a creative working in the city, the shop has widened my eyes to a world of design, art and craft I was completely disenfranchised from beforehand. I knew it existed, I just didn’t know where to find it, view it and buy it.
And whereas areas such as Digbeth and the JQ provide great workspaces for artisans and artists to work, they suffer geographical isolation from the real, consumer world – footfall and exposure, a key part of the CiB shop experience in the Bullring, simply cannot be replicated in these places. I believe the excellent spot in the Bullring is as supremely critical as finding the goods to fill it (which appears not to have been too tricky).
Not only this, it finally provides a place where all people – whether they are aware of the local communities or not – can access, understand and financially contribute to the small-scale creative industries in Birmingham. The diversity of crafts is something the city has been renowned for in the past (‘The City of 1001 Trades’) but is a facet rarely (or badly) represented in the C21st. In an increasingly chain-dominated high street, the CiB shop is both a tonic to that, and a place that really shows what is best and often under-acknowledged about contemporary creativity in this city.
It’s an fantastic, unique service, and sets Birmingham apart.
Andy
March 24, 2010 at 6:10 pm
The CiB shop is tremendously important as a window in to the vibrant creative community that exists in Birmingham. The shop serves as a first point of contact to many shoppers who otherwise wouldn’t know about the tremendous talent that Birmingham has on tap. If the shop shuts, the risk is that we shut the door again on all that talent. It has improved peoples awareness toward the role of CiB – I’ve had friends talk to me about this ‘great new shop’ that’s opened and it would be a real shame not to build on the opportunity. It’s also unique to be able to tell people ‘this blog has a shop’ rather than ‘this shop has a blog’!
John Newbold
March 24, 2010 at 6:33 pm
At last a place where artists, photographers, musicians and other creative people can show their work. Not in some backstreet that only people “in the know” will find but in the heart of Birmingham city centre!
This is a fantastic platform to support local creative people and show their work to the many many visitors who pass through the bullring every day.
Having visited the shop myself a couple of days, I am inspired to look into having some of my work within your shop if possible. There is no pretentiousness there which only makes me want to be a part of this. I’m not put off by thinking that I have to be part of a “club” to have my work shown.
To me, the impression cib left me with was a message of “here we are. If you’ve got something to offer, then share it, here.”
I will be in touch.
Thank you for the opportunity you are giving not only myself but any other creative person in the area, showing the general Brummie public and any other visitors to the bull ring what the creative people of this great city have to offer.
What you’re doing is fantastic. Please don’t stop.
Kind regards
Dan Gallagher – Second city photography.
Dan Gallagher
March 24, 2010 at 6:51 pm
I can also see it developing and inspiring artists to create MORE Birmingham oriented art.
The rippling (ooh err) of that via their own networks and PR could only be for the city’s good.
FionaC
March 24, 2010 at 7:25 pm
I feel that the CiB shop is one of the best things to happen to Birmingham in a long time!
Having worked in the shop for the past month I have found that not only have my own ideas of Birmingham’s creative scene been challenged but also i have been able to experience how the shop has both inspired and motivated Birmingham artists to have more confidence in their work from a commercial point of view. Having such a space has encouraged artists who may not have previously exhibited or sold their work to do so. This coupled with the shops location has brought a whole new meaning to the idea of art in Birmingham.
I feel that if the shop were to close, as is planned, it would not only be a shame for the artists involved but for Birmingham as a whole. We need to encourage the long standing tradition in Brum of making interesting things, otherwise we may loose the rich heritage we have worked so hard to achieve.
In short my vote is with keeping this project going as long as possible and striving for a future that does not restrict the people of Birmingham’s creative output!
Who is with me?
Aaron Andrews
March 24, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Is there any way that you can get birminghamculture.org to get involved? Judging by their website this may be exactly the sort of project they would be interested in for the City of Culture 2013 bid.
onerubberband
March 24, 2010 at 8:21 pm
I popped in on Tuesday and the shop was buzzing with people – great stock, lovely atmosphere and refreshing to see affordable work from so many names! It would be fantastic to keep this creative opportunity alive as there aren’t many spaces which can tempt people in to enjoy creativity without preconceptions.
Laura
March 24, 2010 at 8:24 pm
I visited the CIB shop after hearing about it on Twitter. It’s great to see a nice range of art/design/music stuff for sale by local artists. I think it’s important to get local work out there, and particularly nice to see homemade fanzines along side big, professional prints. One thing though, I know you’ve got to start somewhere but I thought some of the pieces were a bit underpriced – you could go higher guys! I bought a lovely little book of photography and would definitlely visit again if I knew there was going to be a steady supply of new stuff. Good work, keep it up.
Nancy
March 24, 2010 at 8:44 pm
As an artist in Birmingham I value the CiB shop as a place to show my work and find an audience. As a punter I like the shop bacause of it’s happy atmosphere and vibrant abundance of unique constantly changing stock. The shop by it’s nature is open to new ideas and the needs of the people and the creatives of Birmingham in a way that more commercially minded businesses couldn’t hope to be.
Chris Murtagh
March 25, 2010 at 12:39 am
Having moved (not too far) out of Brum, after a brief couple of years there, I haven’t yet visited the shop. I have however eagerly watched it grow, and have heard very positive things.
As a musician and artist I found my time in Brum very interesting and I continue to hold close links with the creative community there. Nobody can deny though that such a prominent retail outlet for local creative output was previously lacking. The CiB shop provides a means of selling goods, an opportunity for networking, a hub, and crucially something to aim for artists. I am myself a very active musician and artist but just in the same way my blogs help me to focus on projects, because there is a published outcome, the CiB shop provides artists with something to aim for, a way to publish, and get paid. It will to help make the difference between, for example: photographers who have some nice photos on their computers and those who actually get their act together to print, frame and sell them; or musicians who commit hours of their time and energy to producing a raft of free downloads versus those that go the extra step to producing a distinctive physical release.
In short, a long term future for the CiB shop promises a long term driver for creative output across the region.
———
P.S. As yet, I have nothing in the CiB shop myself, but its very existence has focused my mind in a couple of areas. Thanks.
Mr.Underwood
March 25, 2010 at 9:02 am
At the risk of repeating all of the positive words already uttered here I’m confident that the CiB shop could well become one of THE main attractions in the Bullring as well as a key weapon in our bid to become City of Culture. I’ve only been in a couple of times but the place seems to be buzzing and, at last, it gives the artistic community a decent outlet in prime retailville. Now, if only the powers that be could get their heads together and find some creative use (exhibition space?) for all of the other empty retail units (both the Zavvi/Virgin and the Woolworths units are still lying empty after more than a year) our City centre would be an even more attractive place for visitors…
The Baron
March 25, 2010 at 12:23 pm
The Created in Birmingham shop is a cultural flagship for the city. It gives regional creative’s an equal opportunity to sell their work and gain invaluable exposure to a mainstream audience.
I am incredibly grateful to CiB for the opportunities that it has presented. I will be saddened when it closes its doors to the public.
Nathan Monk
March 25, 2010 at 7:46 pm
This shop is a great idea, it just has to stay.
First of all it is great to see a shop dedicated to showing/selling pieces if art designed by local people. It may turn out to be one of the main attractions in the bull ring for tourists, apart from the bull. If you are a tourist why would you want to go into HMV, boots or Curries?
And also, what a refreshing to change to see a shop in a major shopping centre that isnt one the usual major brand stores you see at every other shopping centre around britain.
egneg
March 25, 2010 at 9:00 pm
I was delighted to see a platform in the CIB shop for local books/writing, which the city centre otherwise lacks. The shop also brings some distinctiveness to the Bullring. An alternative to the high street chains stops the Bullring feeling functional and makes it more fun (something it definitely needs).
kate m
March 25, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Congratulations on providing a thoroughly independent & professional approach to supporting creative types from Brum. It just goes to show what the city has been missing and with decent support and more time the CIB shop could create a real hub. Wonderful that this is a project that can work both virtually and in the real world. Tis the way forward, good on ya!
Lisa
March 25, 2010 at 11:43 pm
The CiB shop is just figgin awesome on so many levels and for so many reasons.
As a proud Brummie born, bred, educated and employed I’ve always felt that, as much as I love the city, there’s a whacking great hole in what we have to offer in terms of independent retail. Whenever I visit friends in cities such as Bristol or Plymouth or (obviously) London I can’t help but get a pang of jealousy at all of the great boutiques and independent shops they have there where as we seem to get street after street of chain stores and corporate mega brands.
CiB is not just a step in the right direction in this respect, it’s a spark that could start a fire. Suddenly we not only have a great little independent shop selling fantastic things that you won’t find in the chains, but even better it’s truly a product of the city and a sign that the former ‘workshop of the world’ is still capable of producing wonderful things.
And that’s why CiB REALLY MATTERS. Suddenly all of these fantasically talented local people are getting a showcase for their work. Actually, not just a showcase but a REASON to let their talents out. So many people I know are starting to look at the hobbies and passions that they play around with with in their spare time and are coming to realise there may be a market for it. Suddenly weekend tinkerers become cottage industrialists, who in turn could become viable start-ups, then small businesses and then, who knows, maybe even the future retailers that will fill up the empty shops on Brum’s high streets and give the city the independent retail scene it so desperately needs.
CiB isn’t just a nice little shop selling lovely things, it’s an incubator, a motivator, a showcase and a creative hub. It’s gives us all an excuse to get creative, a chance to get noticed, a place to meet like-minds and a reason to venture into the Bullring again (even though we’re tired of the same damn shops we can find in any town, anywhere).
The council owes it to the city to keep this place open as a sign of it’s commitment to small businesses in Birmingham.
The Bullring owes it to itself to continue to endorse independent retailers who make us excited about shopping again (especially ones like CiB who encourage the fledgling future producers and retailers who may one day be able to supply their bigger stores or even set up up shop in the Bullring themselves).
Most of all we all owe Chris, Pete and the whole CiB crew a debt of gratitude for giving hope to the creative entrepreneurs of the city.
Right, enough gushing- I’m off to grab some pritstick and some safety scissors in an attempt to jump on the craft bandwagon myself. Yay!
Nick Lockey
March 28, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Other cities with arts institutions, such as Edinburgh, have a wealth of independent retail outlets where graduates can test the market for their products and grow an idea for a product or service into a thriving business.
At BIAD and elsewhere more and more graduates are being encouraged to be entrepreneurial and Birmingham’s powers that be should make a point of supporting initiatives like the CiB shop so that over time links can be made with the regions Universities building the shops stock and customer base. This will make students with great things to sell aware that if they connect with the shop they get a rare opportunity to have a direct link to their customer at an early stage of their forays into retail.
The Bullring location is amazing – this shop should not be hidden away in a backstreet. The shop should become the first stop for people interested in spotting local talent in fashion, product design, design and making, music, illustration, photography and more. The shop could be seen as the place to launch a new range or idea. It would be great to capture tales of the shop launching people’s careers and businesses. Above all the shop is an excellent focus for everyone’s creative energy.
Lauren
March 28, 2010 at 10:31 pm