News / redland
Hamilton and Hodson celebrate 21 years on the platform
After 21 years on the platform at Redland Station, upholsterers Hamilton and Hodson are holding a party on the platform to celebrate not only two decades of work but Nicky and Erica’s new business partnership. On Saturday May 20, Redland platform will not only be a working train station but an exhibition of furniture bespoke.
When Nicky and her old business partner, Reene, had to relocate from St Pauls, they found the perfect location for their new workshop in Redland. With easy access to the rest of Bristol and very few interruptions – minus the occasional train passing – it was ideal.
Nicky and Renee at their old workshop in St Paul’s
Now, 20 years later, Nicky and her new business partner Erica, who previously lived in London and met Nicky when she joined one of her classes to make friends, still love the workshop, despite its flaws.
As the building is still partly owned by the railway, there are restrictions on where and how many signs they can have on display, and when they aren’t in the workshop, no signs are allowed to be left out. “Most of our customers walk past us on their way to work or to get the train,” says Erica. “They’ll pop their heads around the door to say they have a chair or something that needs doing.”
Upholstery is both Nicky and Erica’s second profession, and, as such, they have both taken skills from previous work to help the company. Nicky used to be a physiotherapist, and it was her want to make “old things new again” that inspired her career change. Although she says she misses the contact with people she had in her previous role, she finds her new profession “meditative”.
Erica, in contrast, has come to the business from project management roles within children’s theatre, and has therefore used her PR and social media skills to move Hamilton and Hodson online.
A range of requests come through the stations doors, from simple modern chairs to vintage sofas. Both Nicky and Erica love the old pieces, which they restore using traditional techniques, despite it being a longer process. “The complex techniques makes these pieces almost like project solving,” says Erica. “It’s very satisfying.”
While the focus of their Party on the Platform event will be to celebrate their new partnership and Nicky’s 21 year-old business, there will also be a range of furniture on display, including a bespoke footstool made by the pair. They’ll also be demonstrating their new fabric printer, which allows customers to choose their own designs, photos, and prints, to be upholstered by the pair using natural fibres.
Party on the Platform will take place at Redland Station’s platform on Saturday May 20 from 2-4pm.
For more information, visit: www.hamiltonandhodson.co.uk
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