Forge in Wexford moves into design space

To say that the Forge Design and Craft Centre in Baldwinstown, Co Wexford, has weathered a few years of business would be an understatement. The building has been in the Parle family since the 1700s.

Padraic Parle, the sixth generation owner of the forge, now runs the Forge in addition to his other business Bramble Crafts. Parle's grandfather James was the last working blacksmith at the forge which ceased operation in 1956.

The Forge in the centre of the village of Baldwinstown had been known as a social space in the community for centuries too. “In years past the forge would have been the main meeting place in the area and many years ago would have housed the only hurling ball in the parish,” Parle says. “A garage of old, it was the site of many a local social night in the area.”

For some years, the derelict building was used as a garage that housed cars. The building fell into disrepair until Parle decided to do something about it.

“I was always drawn to it,” he says. “If the walls could talk, they would have some stories to tell. I suppose it’s in the middle of nowhere to some extent but it’s in a prominent location in the village, so I wanted to do something with it.”

Qualifying in 2002 as a cabinet maker, Parle established Bramble Crafts in 2003 when he was 21. A father of two, he is talented as his bespoke kitchens and furniture attest.

Furniture business

In 2007 Parle began to examine the potential of the forge building and to consider renovating it. “I was still busy enough with the kitchen and furniture business but I could see things slackening off so it was at that point I decided that I was going to do something with the old forge.”

For a while the building operated as a furniture showroom but Parle knew it had greater potential.

“Maybe I’m a dreamer but I could see the potential there even in the years between 2010 and 2013 when people didn’t have the money. I could see if we got it right that it had potential.”

In 2013 and 2014, Parle received a business development grant from Wexford Local Development. “I did a whole refit on the building, put in the new courtyard, a new workshop and parking which has brought it to the next level. We are trying to create the right package so that from the minute you walk through the doors you get a great sense of what we are about.”

The business recently received the Wexford Design and Craft Business Award from Wexford Chamber and is now part of the Wexford Craft Trail.

Getting the product right has been of crucial importance to Parle who, alongside his own Bramble Craft products, stocks pottery, crafts and jewellery from about 50 craftspeople including Bláithín Ennis jewellery, Paul Maloney pottery, Scribble & Stone jewellery and felt maker Jamie Lewis.

Being cautious

“In 2013 it was a question of ‘where do we take it from here?’. We wanted to keep our product to a certain standard while being cautious about the price of things,” says Parle, whose wife Mairéad, a primary school teacher, has a strong hand in the selection and curation of product in the shop.

Parle is in the process of rebranding the business to have a greater emphasis on design. They have changed the name from The Forge Craft Shop to the Forge Design and Craft Centre with the new brand rolling out across all signage, social media and the company website. “We are going more down the design route. It’s the next step for our business. We saw it this summer in particular – the standard of product our visitors are looking for.”

For Parle it’s a learning curve. “We didn’t want to advertise in 2013 and even in 2014 as we weren’t 100 per cent happy with our stock. People thought we were mad not to put the word out but we wanted to be entirely happy with what we were doing before we started shouting about it.”

With the setting right and the product fine-tuned, Parle says this summer has seen footfall grow six-fold.

“In 2014 we saw a lot of people coming in who were interested in what we were doing but this year we have seen that the spending confidence is back – that people are actually buying and sending people to the shop to buy things,” he says.

“I am very optimistic about the business,” says Parle. “I’ve always been a hard worker and I’m excited about what’s going to happen in the future. The plan is to make The Forge more of a destination by advertising more and getting our name out there, increasing footfall and developing the refreshments we offer on the premises.

“We want to build it gradually but build something with longevity. We feel the potential is huge.”

See theforgewexford.ie