Good morning,
Here’s your Sunday read from The Old Post Office (TOPO). Back after a short break - did you miss us?
Although we’re into the second week of September, we still have the ‘back to school’ feeling. The nights are drawing in - and we’re sure, any day now, that the central heating will be kicking in. Eep!
A few nice things to report on this week - our Fat Joy Book Club held a +sized clothes swap last week (let us know on email if you’d like to join the next - [email protected] and Kerry will send the group guidelines) we’re planning in the dates for the next crafternoon, and we have tentatively signed up to BlueSky though we haven’t posted yet. Feels like the early days of twitter.
This week’s newsletter is a reminder that in a few weeks, we will be open on the weekend as part of Birmingham Open Studios.
Open as usual for coworking Monday to Friday - come and see us.
— Team TOPO
Birmingham Open Studios
For the second year, the coworking space is a host venue for Birmingham Open Studios.
There are hundreds of artists taking part in the scheme all across the city, showing their work in places such as artist studios and cafes, through to shop windows and garden shed-studios. In many cases artists are displaying their work in their own living spaces which have been turned into art galleries for the occasion.
At the coworking space we’re open for the first weekend of the open studios trail - pop in between 11am-5pm on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 September.
Our confirmed artists at TOPO are:-
Ayesha Bibi (Sketch Avenue) - After 25 years of practicing as an architectural interior designer, Ayesha has returned to her passion of using earth as her medium to create art
Debra Nelson - Debra is designer and illustrator, she creates colourful prints and products, her work often takes inspiration from travel, adventure and the environment
Izzy Kennedy - South-Birmingham based illustrator and ceramicist, drawing her way round Birmingham through street portraits and architectural prints
Kate Shipley - Kate is an illustrator and maker inspired by her love of nature. Her drawings and designs are printed onto quality papers and fabrics and are perfect as gifts or to brighten your home
Mirta Vargas Ceramics - Mirta’s work is inspired by Nature, and by the desert landscape and native heritage of her region in Northern Chile
sparklymouse - Louise Marie Jones is a born and bred Brummy creating hand embroidered illustrations under the moniker sparklymouse – working with an ambition to make life a bit more colourful in a world full of doom and gloom.
Birmingham Open Studios is a good opportunity to go to places you may not ordinarily get chance to visit. In Stirchley there are other participating venues/artists studios including Stirchley Printworks, Copperknobs (another one of our coworkers!) and Stirchley Art Room at Stirchley Library.
Wednesday evening coworking
For a couple of months we’ve been open on Wednesday evenings for coworking, outside of our regular 9am-5pm.
The session was set up by Phil for a weekly informal coding club - side quest Wednesdays. Open from 6pm-9.30pm, the evening is loosely shaped into an accountability session - though there is no expectation that you need to take part in this.
This week, Kerry (me - hi) used the session to cross off things from my volunteering to-do list - and Jon fixed a ‘bug’ (software engineer style).
In case you missed it last week - registered address service
Set up The Old Post Office in Stirchley as your registered address for a small annual fee (£8 per month), and support a small business by doing so. This means you don’t need to have your home address or private information listed on your company registration information.
We have introduced a 25% discount on our registered address service for charities, charitable organisations and social enterprises.
Local links/info
You’re not too late to catch Birmingham Heritage Week - maybe a nice rainy day activity this afternoon? On until 15 Sept. More info on the website.
I picked up a flyer for PPP Film Lab when I was in Stirchley Wines (our next door neighbours) last week. “Every Friday, you're invited to witness the lab in full swing, where you can see the lab in action, have a casual chat about film, and seek friendly advice! Drop film off 7 days a week” at Stirchley Space Station (storage facility nearish Wickes). More info online.
Next door but one, Birmingham Bike Foundry, is mentioned in this Birmingham Dispatch article - Birmingham was once the bicycle capital of the world (Saturday 7 September)
The next Stirchley Community Market ran by local volunteers is Saturday 21 September, 10am-3pm at Stirchley Baths. Nice to get a shout out about this in Stirchley Cooperative Development’s newsletter.
Stirchley local, Stuart Whipps, has a photography exhibition, in collaboration with historian Matt Houlbrook, all about Bournville When We Build Again: Revisited at Selly Manor - throughout September. (Photo courtesy Stuart Whipps, below) spotted via instagram
Community coworking space in Stirchley
The Old Post Office, 1533 Pershore Road, Stirchley, South Birmingham B30 2JH
The coworking space is open Monday to Friday this week.
If you'd like to come and cowork you can book your desk via this link.