In a modern world built on consumersim, Sharon Harding of Busybees, a Dublin based company prides herself on a common sense approach to the recycling ideals that goods and good service need not cost a fortune, while helping the environment.
Busybees collects, recycles, prepares and resells pre-loved furniture, while providing training and employment opportunities for the communities of Dublin's inner city. A FAS funded project with a community development ethos - Busybees take placements from various organisations, such as Business in the Community.
We talked about customers and wish lists with Sharon (Pictured below, right), and also asked her to tell us a bit more about Busybees and her role in the company. Here's what she had to say...
(Words: Zita Spring, Photography: Paul Sherwood)
I work as Artistic Coordinator at Busybees, a company devoted to “saving the planet, one sofa at a time”. The first Busybees shop opened in Summerhill, Dublin in 2005, and in 2008 we opened a second Dublin shop on Bridgefoot Street, Dublin 8. The Bridgefoot Street shop has a very eclectic selection of furniture, specialising in vintage and retro pieces, which are proving very popular with the public. There is a huge demand for vintage pieces.
People seem to want furniture that is durable, with character and personality, and at affordable prices - something different from the norm, which often reflects the individuality of the customer. We keep a customer wish list at the store, so if there is a certain item that someone is on the lookout for, we do our best to find it for them.
My job involves selecting furniture for the Bridgefoot Street shop and deciding with the team which category it falls into - wash and minor repair, or major repair and finishing, and then working on the design development. I also take care of the design and maintenance of our website, liaise with our transport managers and co-ordinate staff. Some members of the team have a background in visual arts, and we also have a carpenter and technicians on site.
The skills used can range from washing and polishing, to the complete disassembly and reconstruction of furniture, to mosaic and appliqué. As well as restoring furniture, we create one-off restyled pieces. People are responding well to our quirkier restyled pieces. Knowing that something is a reclaimed "one of a kind" that was formerly old and tired, but which now has a new lease of life makes them real conversation pieces. We think of each item as “pre-loved” transformed to be “re-loved”.
Some of the furniture that Busybees transforms and sells comes to us through our collections six months of the year in association with Dublin City Council, proving that something considered useless to one person could mean the world to someone else. In addition to the DCC collections we collect pieces from homes on a daily basis as part of our own collection service, which covers all areas of the city.
People are becoming more aware of the impact dumping in landfill has on the environment, and our service is often cheaper than hiring vans and skips with the added convenience of people not having to remove the furniture themselves as our removal team will do this. With deliveries everyday, our workshop is a hive of activity.
We even provide a bespoke service so people can redesign their own furniture, and we do the work. On the design front, we tend to watch current trends, viewing magazines and design blogs for inspiration. As some of the team have backgrounds in visual arts, we adapt our creative knowledge, and fine art and craft skills in alternative ways for each job - a vivid imagination is essential.
Some of the pieces we have planned in the coming months will have a very contemporary urban vibe, so the whole team will soon be receiving training in stencil and street art design.
Busybees, Bridgefoot Street, Dublin 8
www.busybees.ie
