Wood n Brush Co showroom in Mountsorrel
Kia Maine set up bespoke hand-painted furniture business Wood n Brush Co from her home in Barrow upon Soar during lockdown at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Having built up an online customer base by sourcing preloved furniture and breathing new life into it, she eventually moved into a unit at the Charnwood Borough Council-run Oak Business Centre in Sileby but soon outgrew the space.
"I started out painting small things and tested the water with a mirror I bought from a car boot sale in Quorn, which I carried across the fields, and it sold instantly," said Kia.
"It was just one of those lightbulb moments. Then I got asked to do a pair of bedside tables and that was the first time I'd done any bigger pieces. Then it just started to escalate."
Kia recently opened a new showroom at the old Rock Cinema building in Mountsorrel, allowing people to come and view the furniture in person.
"I've lived round here all my life and I'd never seen this building before, and a lot of people have said that," she said.
"It's an interesting building, which I'm learning more about as people come in and talk about it. You can still see bits of the old cinema.
"The neighbours either side have said they're really happy that the building has got some life back into it.
"I'm really excited about the potential of this whole building, when it's all been done, just to have a hub of somewhere other local businesses can maybe have their things, we could rent the space out for supper clubs, or anything people want it for, really.
"It's a place where people can come and hopefully word gets around and it's somewhere that gets established and is here for a long time."
Kia is delighted to back the Shop Charnwood campaign: "I love that the Council and Discover Charnwood is doing this, because people want these independent shops on their high street now and hopefully that's coming back.
"We've got to support our local communities, haven't we? And if you can get whatever you need locally then why go elsewhere?"
Find out more by watching the video below.
You can find Wood n Brush Co at the Old Rock Cinema, 182 Leicester Road, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire, LE12 7DE.
You can also visit the website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
