Libraries NI has provided a creative space for four businesses whose offices were destroyed in the devastating fire in Cathedral Buildings in October 2022.
Organised by Damien Corr, BID manager, Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) working with Julie Reid Deputy Head of Service, Libraries NI, the library has given the space free for a year and supported the businesses with furniture and other facilities.
For design agencies Form Native and Landmark along with marketing agencies Excalibur Press and Watson & Co Chartered Marketing, the office space means they can still operate their businesses while more permanent premises are sought.
The businesses have said the temporary office space has been a lifeline at a time of uncertainty.
Julie Reid, Libraries NI Deputy Head of Service said they were keen to support development and growth in the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District.
“After the devastating fire in Cathedral Buildings in October 2022 it has been a real privilege for Libraries NI to be able to help these creative businesses by providing use of space in Belfast Central Library,” she said.
“Since Belfast was established as a city 135 years ago, the library has helped to develop and support creativity and learning and we see the Creative Space as a natural fit.
“Belfast Central Library is strategically located in the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District and we hope that the ambition and vision for the redevelopment of the library will move forward providing the people of Belfast with a library that matches the aspirations of the city and the people.”
One organisation that stepped in to support businesses following the fire was the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District.
BID manager Damien Corr provided a number of displaced businesses with opportunities for relocation in the weeks following the fire.
He said: “In the immediate aftermath of the Fire the Cathedral Quarter BID set about searching for alternative accommodation for those impacted and lobbying for a support package from our Statutory partners.
“The first thing that became apparent was the widespread willingness to help from right across the sectors and no more so than from Julie at Belfast Central Library.
“Julie was one of the first to respond to our call, asking ‘how can we help and when do you need it?’ The subsequent arrangement is a godsend to those who gratefully took up the offer and hopefully paves the way for future collaboration.
“Our Statutory Partners in Belfast City Council, DFC and DFI along with the owner and his contractor worked with us to relocate some businesses in other areas and to provide ongoing support and assistance.”
Mr Corr said that it was testament to the willingness in Cathedral Quarter to reach out and help their neighbours.
One business owner who will benefit from the Creative Space is Paul Kelly of design agency Form Native.
He said: “Losing our studio in Cathedral buildings fire was a profound setback for our design business. The home, tools and archive of twenty years of practice all suddenly gone. It left us without a firm footing in any sense.
“Being offered the Creative Space in Central Library enabled us to find our place again in the Cathedral Quarter, where we belong. It gave us the time and space to reset as a business, stay connected to our community, and build a new positive plan for the year.
“We are deeply grateful to Julie Reid Libraries NI and Damien Corr CQ BID who had the foresight to make this happen, and to the Central Library for making us feel so welcome – being here is a reminder of the importance of these public spaces and the services they provide to so many different people.”
Tina Calder, director of media and marketing agency Excalibur Press said the security of being at Central Library was important for her staff and the ability to support clients.
“The impact of the fire on my business was significant. Not only did we lose physical space and items, but we lost the ability to service some of our clients due to the disruption caused in not having a physical space,” she explained
“My staff were left with nowhere to settle and I found it very difficult to lead my team effectively whilst dealing with the trauma and loss associated with the fire and not being able to find somewhere for us to work from as a team.
“We are grateful to Mammoth who provided us with a short term solution but knowing that would end meant I was potentially going to have to make a rash decision and take on a place that didn’t suit the business and possibly outside the Cathedral Quarter which we did not want.
“When Damien Corr at CQ BID and Julie Reid from Libraries NI stepped in to offer us a place in the Creative Space for a year I can honestly say my stress levels reduced significantly, my mental health improved dramatically, my staff were able to feel secure in their jobs and our clients were once again shown stability in our business.
“Libraries NI and CQ BID kept us in the Cathedral Quarter and we’re really excited to get the opportunity to discover and share with our clients and audience everything the library has to offer from behind the scenes.”
Design agency Landmark will also inhabit the space. Timothy Farrell, partner at Landmark said that the fire left them wondering how to go forward.
“Following the devastating fire at Cathedral Buildings, we found ourselves in unfamiliar terrain,” he said.
“The loss of 40 years’ worth of work samples, books, workstations, and tools left us uncertain about how to move forward or rebuild.
“Fortunately, with the assistance of Damien Corr and Julie Reid, Libraries NI reached out to us and proposed a shared workspace for the building’s tenants. This Creative Space, situated in Central Library, has provided us with a fresh start.
“By maintaining our connections with other tenants from Cathedral Buildings and continuing to expand our business, we have been able to make progress. We are incredibly grateful for the warm reception we have received and feel at home in this new space.”
Meanwhile Christine Watson of Watson & Co Chartered Marketing and founder of TrainingMatchmaker.com said it was the loss of a business ‘home’ that hit her the most.
She explained: “Remote work is a blessing but operating as a digital nomad brings its own set of challenges.
“My co-working space facilitated by Excalibur Press, not only gave me a solopreneur, a professional business address to call my work home, housed in a beautiful old building in a creative part of our city,” she said.
“It also gave me a community to network with & even lean on and help out too from time to time – like minded business owners and creative professionals who cheerily said hello when our paths crossed at the front door, on the stairs and even in the kitchen – those water cooler type conversations that workers in large organisations get to avail of.
“I’m excited to be able to benefit from this positive vibe again in ‘Creative Space’ in Belfast Central Library. I am grateful that Libraries NI are willingly homing my micro enterprises and thankful of the dedication of the CQ BID to secure a roof over our heads.
“As someone who delivers work right across Northern Ireland I am a big advocate and frequent user of our local library network – I look forward to seeing what comes of operating in a productive work space and to see what comes from the many water cooler conversations I anticipate having again in the year ahead.”