ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BALTIC TRIANGLE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 remembered Mr Rhodes, “with cost being the number one factor. “It’s such a beautiful space that people find fascinating – the furnace, and these inside/outside structures,” he said, pointing at the former office buildings on the walls of the main hall. The bar acts as the “honeypot”, and a social hub for the district, leading into that main hall and also to another larger warehouse space that can be used for events. Down a corridor from the lobby sits the Blade Factory, which can be used as an exhibition space by day or a 300-capacity club at night. “That’s one of the things we’ll be expanding in our proposition,” said Mr Rhodes. “We’ll have more club nights there for smaller numbers.” There were also plans to install caravans in the space to create a unique hotel. But Mr Rhodes said: “That’s coming on slowly because of the demands of the other businesses. It might be something we’ll look at later next year.” The business is now attracting visitors to the Baltic Triangle from Liverpool and beyond. “It’s been received very well,” said Mr Rhodes. “We’ve had lots of international press. “Because this place is so unusual, with its scale and the mix of things we have, our profile is pretty high. “People are talking about it as a must-do destination in Liverpool – if you’re coming to Liverpool, it’s the one place you have to go. “It’s helping to change people’s perceptions of Liverpool. A lot of people have even said ‘London needs something like this’.” PR firm Agent Marketing is one of Baltic Creative’s biggest tenants, occupying a customdesigned space at the back of the campus. Managing director Paul Corcoran said he chose the Triangle office because it gave the company “a blank canvas in a new part of the city”. He added: “It’s got that ‘wow’ factor. People don’t expect it. “It is, in essence, quite an uglylooking tin shed from the outside. But, when you come in, you can see it’s got such a different vibe. “It’s exciting for the city that we have an area dedicated to the creative industries. It’s an exciting sector. “Now, everyone knows where the Baltic Triangle is.” The Triangle’s collaborative attitude means, says Mr Corcoran, that his firm has been able to work with companies it would otherwise never have met. “Graphic design firm Gocre8 is down the road,” he said. “We wouldn’t have known who they were if we hadn’t moved in. So far, we’ve worked with them two or three times. “When we go into Camp & Furnace, we’ll bump into people all the time. You don’t get that anywhere else.”
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Weathering the storm BY BILL GLEESON
James Millard, left, and Tim Waring, in their Baltic Creative shed
SHARED SHED AN IDEAL SOLUTION FOR COLLABORATIVE FRIENDS WITH FLEDGLING FIRMS JAMES MILLARD and Tim Waring learned together at Calday Grange, in Wirral – now they’re working together in a shed in Liverpool. Childhood friends James, who runs Eco Street Adverts, and Tim, who runs web agency Mullen, share a shed inside the Baltic Creative campus. And they say the collaborative space is suiting their businesses down to the ground. Mr Waring said: “The first day we came in, everybody’s doors were open.
“There are production companies here we are already chatting to. “Lots of cupcakes fly around on Fridays. “It’s quite clear that there are going to be a lot of collaborations through the whole building.” Eco Street Adverts creates “clean adverts” – also known as “reverse graffiti” – by putting a stencil over a pavement and then blasting the pavement with water, leaving words visible. It also uses biodegradable chalk to paint on pavements and roads.
most of all from being here,” said Mr Morland, “was that sense of community, that sense of being in a large pool of talent. “Me and the two other directors probably looked at 10 other places, and there were some gorgeous looking offices, but there was nowhere else where all the directors said ‘this has got a good vibe’. It was a building site, but it had potential. “We could establish our own identity here. Where in the past we’ve been happy sitting where nobody could see us, now we’re really talking about what we’re up to as we’ve got this window to the world.” The Baltic Triangle may be on the up, but there is still work to be done. For Mr Lawler, the area needs better signage and better public transport links, potentially including the reopening of the
Mr Millard, who launched the business in May, said: “I came back from working in a boat on the Med about this time last year. “This idea for reverse graffiti has been about for a few years in Europe, particularly Holland. I looked at the start-up costs and found there was nobody else really doing it around here. “So I thought I’d start it in the North west and see where it went. Pretty soon I got inquiries from London and Birmingham, and it took off well.”
former St James Station nearby. He added: “More front-facing shops in this area would be wellreceived as well.” The Baltic Manifesto says: “The strategy is simple: fill the area with people and the rest will follow – fill the area with creative, industrious and pioneering people and the rest will follow sooner.” Mr Rhodes said: “We definitely need more independent retail. This should be Liverpool’s home of independent retail. Nowhere else can really lay claim to that. “We want to see more businesses moving here. “It’s certainly the best location for creative and digital businesses, by a long way. But we need more retail. “We’re pleased to sit alongside all the industry that lives here – the welders, the garages. “That paints a picture we want to add to – that we don’t want this
Mr Waring and three friends launched fullservice digital agency Mullen last month. He had spent the previous two years freelancing but, he said: “I’ve been working with some big clients and the feedback was that working from a back bedroom at home was not enough. Then this opportunity came up. “We came down here and we were really impressed. “I’d been looking to set up a real company, a properly-run web design agency where I
to be a business district or a Ropewalks.” And Mr Rhodes also wants the district to become a new home for festivals. Individual venues host their own events – such as the Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia at Camp & Furnace, which will return next year as a two-day event. But the area is, Mr Rhodes says, ideal for larger events across several venues indoors and outdoors. He said: “We’ll be looking to have a festival over the Bank Holiday called Summer Camp. We’re hoping to bring that to the streets both inside and outside. It will be much more of a family day out than something like the Mathew Street Festival. “Road closures are easier here than in the rest of town. The streets are really wide. And you have venues like the Picket, Camp & Furnace and Elevator.”
could do everything I wanted to do. We wanted to do more than just ‘web design’ – we’ll be offering digital marketing, social media services, etc.” Now happily settled into their shared shed, the two entrepreneurs are planning to work together as well as with other Baltic firms. Mr Waring said: “Our companies are complementary. If we sell campaigns, we can offer more traditional forms of advertising through John. We try to do bits and bobs together.”
And Dave Brown, from Baltic Creative-based app agency Apposing, added: “It’s a cool up-and-coming area that’s becoming a really popular place for creative and digital companies. But it lacks a few things, like transport links to the city and a cash machine. “There’s been a lot of investment down here. We can’t let it stop there. “We still need to move forward and do more. It’s a success story, but it could be an even bigger success story. We need to keep an eye on what’s going on. “There’s a lot of space round here which could be used. We just need to keep shouting about it. “People know about it. I’ve spoken to a few people who are thinking about coming down here from the city centre. Word is getting around. We just need to keep pushing.”
With global interests ranging from shipping to retail to financial services, Sir Michael Bibby’s diversified family firm is well-placed to survive the downturn
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OFTWARE firm Citrus Suite moved from Seymour Street to a temporary base in Jamaica Street in May, and last month moved in to its new shopfront home in Baltic Creative. The company has created smash hit apps including “Wreck This App”, based on Keri Smith’s book “Wreck This Journal”, which it created for publisher Penguin in the US. “What we thought we’d gain
THE BIG INTERVIEW
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