Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
The Hub is open
All together now
The Hub, situated in the popular factory outlet Mackinnon Mills, features a host of creative local businesses coming together all under one roof.
It is the brainchild of Lanarkshire mums Denise Cardigan and Kate Henry, of Endless Furniture – a vintage furniture upcycling enterprise – and Bernadette Wightman, owner of Castaway Creations, designer of handcrafted statues using reconstituted stone.
Denise told the Advertiser: “The hub was created by Kate, Bernadette and I.
“It’s only been open for the past three months, but it has grown very quickly.
“Mackinnon Mills offered us an area to open up in and we agreed to sub-let it and that’s where the idea of the hub came from. I had an idea of how I wanted it to look and we totally renovated the whole place in only three weeks.”
Alongside Castaway Creations and Endless Furniture, the hub also features brow specialist Just Browsing, the Massage Hut, the Village Gallery – a bespoke framing, art and photography service – a holistic hairdresser, and personalised gifts from Izzy luxury items.
Bernadette added: “I was looking to expand within Mackinnon Mills and collectively we decided on a fresh name and so we just decided to call it The Hub.
“Within a short space of time we converted it and got all these people in and made it into a regeneration project in Coatbridge.
“A lot of ideas came together to form The Hub. I think it’s a good business model for other people to follow with a lot of businesses going under.”
Denise explained how The Hub was an “exclusive” in shops, saying that the project and reaction has been quite overwhelming.
She told us: I’m really passionate about it. It’s something that’s a bit different and we are all starting our own businesses.
“I’m really proud of what we have achieved because I have been working so hard.”
The official launch event saw hundreds of shoppers being entertained by talented Coatbridge singer-songwriter Cutchy Cash and Glasgow-based band Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5, prior to their performance at the Euro 2020 fanzone in Glasgow Green.
Denise enthused: “The launch event was very successful. I had a lot of interest from people and we had great entertainment on the day.
“There were a lot of friends and family who came along to see what we have been working on and I have been speaking to a few people that have furniture at home, with one woman wanting her piece fully restored to its original glory.”
As well as her vintage furniture restoration business, talented duo Denise and Kate are also planning to open an events management venture entitled Endless Memories.
Denise explained “We are starting Endless Memories and we will be doing event management and parties. That’s my background anyway.
“In all businesses there are peaks and troughs, but I can start to concentrate on doing some events, especially with everything opening back up again.
“We are still expanding the furniture business, but we are also looking to start up events and one of my friends from university is hoping to get involved. We are also looking at vintage fayres and have booked into one in Perth this month.”
And the talented team of local entrepreneurs now hope that their exciting collaborative enterprise will go from strength to strength now that its firmly on the Lanarkshire map.
“It’s a team and community of likeminded people who are all passionate about their businesses,” said Denise.