News / Willway Yard
New lease of life for former furniture yard as a creative hub
A former furniture yard in Bedminster has been given a new lease of life since autumn 2024, making it into a growing hub for businesses and creatives.
The Park Furnishers showroom stood on Willway Road for around 35 years before relocating to Eastgate, just a short walk from Ikea in 2021.
Fred Wyatt is the creative force behind the hub at Willway Yard, which is now home to about 50 businesses and creatives, ranging from writers and musicians to animators and tattooists. The site is run by Danielle Howe who has a background in creative industries.
Bristol24/7 recently met with Fred at his business hub, located just a short distance from Windmill Hill City Farm.
View this post on Instagram
The workspaces are made from repurposed shipping containers that are fully insulated, lined, and professionally fitted with electricity. According to Fred, these spaces are “ideal” for freelancers, offering a cost-effective solution to renting a workspace.
Fred is no stranger to managing workspaces, having been behind some 700 spaces across four major cities under the collective brand, Meanwhile Creative.
A refitted shipping container as a workspace
His journey began in 2011 when he converted an old police station, but the business really took off with his Manchester venture, where he began using converted shipping containers to create self-contained workspaces.
Fred explained: “We started taking on buildings that no one wanted around 2010 or 2011. We began dividing them up and subletting them to small businesses looking for affordable, flexible space.
“Over the years, this approach has evolved. We now have sites in Cardiff, Newport, and several buildings in Bristol. The idea of using containers came about about five years ago.
“In Manchester, we have something similar, but on a larger scale, with 200 shipping containers on site. However, the main motivation was wanting to do something closer to home, as I’m from Bristol. I live in Bristol, and the company is based here too.”
Innovative plant beds to adorn the former furniture yard
He mentioned that the goal has not been about “making loads of money,” but about providing spaces for creatives and smaller businesses, most of which are one or two-person operations looking for an upgrade from their kitchen table or a coffee shop.
“This is more about makers,” he continued. “We refer to our tenants as makers. They could be personal trainers, guitar instructors, or tattooists – in fact, we have tattooists here. It’s a much more eclectic mix of hands-on, physical work, as opposed to laptop-based or office jobs.
“I think the types of tenants who come to us for space are quite diverse. We have buildings here and other properties as well. But the people who come to us aren’t necessarily focused on building massive companies or getting super rich.
Fred Wyatt (left) is responsible for the transformation of the former furniture yard into a vibrant hub of creatives and small businesses
“It’s more about a love of labour – many of them enjoy working with their hands. It creates a different kind of atmosphere. For some, it starts as a hobby that gradually turns into a livelihood, but they’re still testing it out. The space is affordable and flexible. A lot of people come from working at their kitchen table or in their garage, so this is a step up for them.
“It’s not quite the finished article yet, but many of these businesses are now fully-fledged, and this space works perfectly for them. It can serve as a launchpad or simply as the perfect spot to keep going.”
With the success of Meanwhile Creative in Manchester, Cardiff, and Newport, Fred explained that he wanted to be “closer to home” while raising a family in south Bristol.
Clare and her partner run the marketing consultancy Owl and Bear from Willway Yard
Bristol24/7 spoke to several tenants of the yard, though some preferred not to be featured for privacy reasons. However, they expressed their delight at having their own space and the opportunity to advance their creative endeavours.
One of the first tenants of the yard, Clare, who runs the marketing consultancy Owl and Bear with her partner, shared the positive impact Willway Yard has had on their business.
She said: “We used to share office spaces, but the issue with that is you have to share your space, and when you’re on calls or dealing with other things, you don’t have privacy.
“You might not even have control over the noise levels. So, my partner and I both work from here, and it just means we have the flexibility of our own space, while still being part of a community.
“You can socialise and still feel like you’re going to a workplace with other people, but you also have the ability to close the door and focus when you need to get some work done. It’s fantastic.”
Clare added: “We’ve been here for about three or four months. We were among the first to move in, so we’ve been here since before Christmas. We got to experience the winter here, which was lovely with all the lights up – it looked really pretty.
“Now we’re settling in and moving the office around a bit. It’s been really great, and it’s nice seeing the space fill up with different businesses.
View this post on Instagram
“When the sun came out the other day, it was lovely. Everyone congregated on the deck, had a couple of drinks together – it was great. It’s a really nice space, and you get to meet like-minded people with all sorts of businesses. It creates a real ecosystem, if you like.”
The former home of Park Furnishers has assumed a new life as a hub for small businesses and creatives
All photos: Milan Perera
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
