Let's start from the beginning, the best place to start, most the time hey?
So, a few weeks ago Gary and I went on a little trip up to London to look for new artists and as always, eat loads of delicious street food all day and have a vintage mooch. Our fav kinda day. We always head to as many indi markets as possible looking for new stockists and general inspiration for NS but on this particular day we had no idea what we were about to discover. We walked out of North London Makers Market feeling very inspired and accidentially took a right. But, wowsers so glad as it was very clearly meant to be, that wrong but so very right, right turn. Becuase if we hadn't we would maybe never have stumbled upon the most incredible artists space/ store, called 'Revere the Residence'.
We literally fell in love with the whole concept of the space and ABSOLUTELY everything inside it. We sadly didn't get to meet Kate or Piper as they were not in that day. However, we got in touch with them on the way home. A few messages here we are. We are beyond delighted and honoured to be stocking for Revere the Residence and Piper and many of the other artists oh and of course Florence Poppy Deary who is the Revere artist in residence and works with our artists with learning disabilities making their art come to life to sell in the shop and online.
And now look! They are all here....
Kate and Piper Revere, Founders, of social enterprise, Revere Community CIC that empowers learning disabled 18-30 year olds.
Kate launched Revere the Residence (their retail shop) just before lockdown 2020, wanting to establish a homeware and lifestyle shop in the heart of her community in Hackney. Inspired by her creative eldest daughter Piper who has learning disabilities, autism and profoundly deaf. Not the best timing but Kate new that this business would be needed more than ever as opportunities would be even smaller.
Less than 5% of people with learning disabilities are in employment in the UK, knowing this Kate wanted to provide a space for Piper when she left education where she could be creative, express herself, inspired, sociable and most of all safe.
Opening the shop Kate realised the space could be much more than just a space for her and Piper but it needed to include those people who are learning disabled just leaving education to gain skills in the retail environment with the hope they'd have better opportunity to go on to paid employment.
The shop started selling fun creative products by local makers in Hackney and a few other small businesses from around the country, but while at work the Revere volunteers including Piper that were running the shop felt inspired and started creating their own designs. Which were all just beautiful, funny honest and joyful. Pipers art work developed being, notes to her imaginary boyfriends about love or heartbreak of sometimes cheeky notes to her family, but all with a magical connection and way she could express herself where she can't always through language or social situations.
This is when the Revere artist side of the business was born and now every time the shop can it reinvests any money it makes back into the designs made by Revere artists. Now selling cards, art, clothing, ceramics, stationary, candles and accessories.
Piper has gone onto design the global Christmas window displays in collaboration with Vivienne Westwood at all their stores. 3 Revere artists have designs in their A/W 24/25 collection. Collaboration with Albaray with 3 T-Shirt designs with her notes on them. We wholesale to the Wellcome Collection and Holly & Co and have had exhibitions at Hackney Council and See you in Stokey.
We hold regular free art workshops for the learning disabled community in Hackney that isn't all about what we create but also the friendships and time we spend with each other.
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See what we mean? Imagine if we had never turned right? We don't need to think about that now. They are all here and we are smiling BIG!
You can enjoy reading more about Piper here and Pipers work is here 'Notes by Piper' plus the rest of the 'Revere the Residence' artists.
Welcome to the team, all of you xxxx