Toffee Factory opens its doors to Ouseburn
December 19, 2011
Newcastle’s newest space for creative business, Toffee Factory, opened it’s doors today to it’s new tenants. With an impressive 40% of the building already let, Toffee Factory is set to be a successful cornerstone of the Ouseburn valley’s business network.
To mark officially becoming part of the thriving business community that has sprung up in the Ouseburn, on 15th December Toffee Factory welcomed business people from across the area for tea, cake and a sneak preview tour of this extraordinary space.
The atmosphere was buzzing as people from an eclectic variety of businesses – from jewellery designers to IT consultants, storytellers to marketeers – converged over the vintage china to discuss business, catch up and of course, sample some cake.
Sarah Redpath from Seven Stories, a gallery and archive that celebrates the world of children’s books and runs events for children and families, commented: ‘it’s great to see so many people from the Ouseburn here. While we all feel a strong sense of community, it’s rare that we’re all brought together in one place by an event like this. It draws together all the strands that make the Ouseburn such a unique place to work.’
From the literary to the artistic, local writer Kathleen Kenny and Leah K Page, jewellery designer at Lime Street Studios both welcomed the opportunity to have a look inside the redeveloped building and meet the Toffee Factory team. Leah Page said: “I think a lot of us who’ve been working in the Ouseburn have been intrigued by the redevelopment of this landmark building. It’s great to have the chance to look around and fascinating to see what the architects have chosen to highlight. It’s good to see that the chimney has remained a focal point, as it’s so iconic, and I like the use of the coloured panels on the facade as a contrast to the more industrial brickwork and steel on the inside.”
Jill Roe from Ouseburn-based professional photographic and exhibition service Digitalab said “I thought having afternoon tea at Toffee Factory was a great idea. It’s a friendly gesture but it was also a great chance to network with other businesses in the area and build useful contacts.”
Kate Embleton, Business Development Manager and Saskia Droz, General Manager from Toffee Factory’s neighbour, the Hotel du Vin were also present to mark the opening of the newly redeveloped space. Saskia commented: “Being next door, we’ve obviously had a keen interest in the future of the building for a long time and it’s been fantastic to watch the regeneration take place. It’s exciting to have a tour of the finished building and I think the office spaces are fantastic.”
Toffee Factory’s first tenant businesses moved in, including creative communications agency Keltie Cochrane, Sumo design, Ambit creatives and Hedley McEwan. Duncan McEwan from Hedley McEwan commented: “The Ouseburn is the place to be in Newcastle if you are a creative business and Toffee Factory provides the ideal office space for such businesses. We love the idea of working in a regenerated building with so much history that is springing back to life – not only is it high spec but Toffee Factory has soul!”
It’s location at the heart of this bustling environment will ensure that Toffee Factory remains both an architectural landmark and a focal point for creative business as it reaches capacity during 2012.
“Toffee Factory has a fantastic reputation for events and community, resulting in quite a lot of pride when telling people where I'm based!”
Matt Shaw – Director of Pixel House Media
