Shambles Workshop, the next chapter
It has been a while since I got to update the website and the blog has been neglected also. My Easter has been about planning future sessions that are coming up next month but thought I’d add a little bit of a back log of posts and starting with this one. I was honoured when Jon asked me to take photos of his shop and workshop at Glenarm Castle before he closed the doors at the end of last year as and took his business more online. If you have ever paid him a visit while visiting Glenarm, you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say it was like stepping into another world when you came in through the door. Jon's creativity, high qualifty craftmanship and love of being quirky and different is clear in piece that he creates, restores and repurposes.
Watching him interact with his customers was fun, you could see how they loved engaging with him. Hearing the stories behind each piece or how the customer themselves, connected with an item, whether this was through their childhood or family members. Jon also never rushed them. He listened to every customer’s story, engaged with them sincerely and they always left with a little bit of something extra before they came inside. It was something unique to experience because you really don’t get that connection in a high street shop. It was also really nice to see Jon’s pride in his work when he spoke about it. The ideas and inspiration he gets from each item he crafts and the stories from each repair he restores. He’s gentle to the item, respects it for what it is and keeps the character which has been engrained in it over the years while giving it purpose again, this is all showing with the end result. The customer’s joy at having it back, the connection stronger than ever and heartfelf thanks, what a great job to have. Is there any type of job satisfaction which can say the hours of work isn’t worth it? What you don’t see is all his process, from the moment someone hands him an item, his thought process, planning the restoration or repurpose, sourcing his materials locally if possible and the hours of labour in the workshop. What you do though, is appreciate this man’s skills and creativity in giving you back something a unique, knowing there’s a little bit of his soul now embedded in it.
The first time I entered the shop, my immediate impression was the abundance of texture and warmth. Jon’s signature lighting is a huge part of this. Whether this is his quirky cheese grate lights to his propeller lamps, each light is a statement piece in it’s own right and will have your home in a gorgeous glow with his beautiful choice of bulbs, and as his selection in the shop was grouped together, they simply captured your attention to appreciate.
The cable reel table with their stamped letters, the texture of them and his stunning photography backdrop of the trees with the sun,basked in the beautiful warmth glow of the edison bulbs and would suit any home or office by creating that ambient light while adding a little character. I’m proud to have a couple Jon’s lights in my home and can highly recommend them, especially for us book nerds who like that nice light to read by.
Growing up, my dad had a shed with all his tools, each tiny box was full of nuts and bolts, nails, wall plugs and every tool had it’s place hanging on the wall. The vice grips at the end of the workbench, motorbike calender on the wall and other bits and bobs. The first time I walked into Jon’s workshop, I smelt it. I couldn’t put my fingers on it at the time, but now I know what it reminds me of, Dad’s shed. Pencils and tools, that metallic smell mixed with wood, cardboard boxes with the bits and bobs inside, tins of varnish or wood stain, the plastic silicon goggles hanging on the nail. I could have stood there and just inhaled all day. Even working on the photos, it stirred up childhood memories of daddy working in the shed, the metal doors just ajar, and the radio playing.
Jon’s use of traditional tools and method’s reminds me of dad and I’m sure for every visitor to the shop, the moment they stepped into the workshop and inhaled, the scent would have transported them back to a childhood memory of some form whether it was their dad or grandad, but you just felt that connection. It was definitely part of the charm of the old gatehouse too. Jon’s use of every inch of space availble in the workshop was full to the brim, each tool ready to be used when required. As a photographer, I loved everything, from the textures of the work bench, to the flooring to the light coming in from all directions, it was a haven. You can understand why he would get lost in each creation made in there.
But alas, it was time to come to leave the shop. Jon’s going to be able to focus on providing more workshops for everyone to participate in and take home a little bit of their own Shambles Workshop creation. The shop may bee a chapter now closed upon, but his next chapter looks exciting and fresh full of creative ideas. The Shambles Experience wasn’t the shop, it’s Jon himself. It’s how he engages with you, his professionalism as a business owner, but also his personality and character, how he treats you, listens and makes you feel after being in his company, discussing repairs or swapping stories. He won’t make you feel stupid if you ask the silly questions about why he does something in a certain way, or why he uses a stain rather than paint, he explains it all that you understand and learn. Don’t get me wrong, if you know Jon, you’ll know he’ll have a laugh with you too but it’s all part and parcel of the Shambles Experience, the charm and charisma that naturally comes across. It makes you know that you’re in good company.
Make sure to visit the website to purchase his merchandise and beautiful creations either for yourself or for someone as a gift.
He’s also on Facebook and Instagram so go give him a follow too!
Here’s more photos from the day:
