Feature: Harbour House

Welcome to Harbour’s House.

Well, technically, this is Harbour House.

It’s the new, risen star of North Shields.

More than just a building, it’s a unique creative space, built over three years with love, attention to detail, the odd nod to the past and designs for the future, and brings together creative community collaboration under one carefully renovated roof.

Creators Skye-Alexander Ferry and partner Amy-bosé Wilson are the parents of two-year-old Harbour.

And as far as their toddler is concerned, this is her house. Harbour’s House.

Amy says: “It wasn’t the plan at the beginning. “But we realised she’s always been coming to meetings, sitting with me in here and watching daddy and grandad work.

“It just became part of our routine. “When we pull up outside, she’ll say, ‘Harbour’s
House!’, and she can’t wait to get out, run around and see who she knows.

“She loves it here – and she’s been witnessing the changes as she grows.”

Nestled on Little Bedford Street, off the busy Saville Street West, Harbour House was, for years, Kasbah Furniture Market, a weird and wonderful dumping ground from house clearances.

The building was in ruins, Skye admits, three years – and many, many gruelling late nights, early mornings and long days – later.

The top floor alone cost £50,000 to clear out, repair, replenish and reach the standards
required for up to 150 guests attending the “unique, curated” weddings and events Amy is now planning.

Born in North Shields but brought up in London from the age of three, Skye returned to the North East to study multimedia design at Northumbria University.

Summer holidays were in the North East, so no surprise he ran successful businesses in the region and acquired property and companies by his mid-20s.

He knew the Kasbah building well. He knew it was a hidden treasure. And he knew it was a chance to build his idyllic work/create/chilled emporium.

He put in a bid on the day it went up for sale “before anyone else realised its potential”.

It then took a year to get planning permission.

Skye says: “I’ve enjoyed the process, but it’s been three years and I just want to get started properly.

“I’ve been on the tools and worked on design, marketing, branding, interiors and admin too.

“It’s been a lot, and having a little girl in between all of it only added to things.

“I’m super creative, but I’ve really enjoyed calculating things.

“If I just wanted to make money, I wouldn’t have done this from the start.

“I could’ve made money more quickly and easily, but this has been a passion project.

“It’s completely independent and self-funded; the same group of lads and my dad have been on site to help me from day one.

“I think my dad’s sick of me now.”

“Skye is unbelievably determined and resilient,” says Amy, who studied fashion at the same university as Skye, though the couple met in London.

She adds: “Sometimes it feels like three years, and sometimes it feels like a minute because of all the things that have happened and what we’ve achieved.

“And then sometimes it feels like we’ve been here forever.”

“We feel so at home; we’ve created a homely feeling and it is ingrained in us,” adds Amy, who, after a period working in the fashion industry, focusing on her passion for wedding dresses, moved back to the North East.

Our chat takes place before the official opening of the Uncommon restaurant and a month before the first married couple will celebrate at the venue.

As you read this, Harbour House is now open and nearly fully occupied.

In truth, the doors were always open, thanks to a carefully curated online community known as The Houseys.

Skye and Amy created the society as tenants moved in, keeping their ‘Houseys’ updated throughout the process so they felt part of the structure.

The completion of the Uncommon restaurant and bar on the ground floor was the signal to send out invitations.

Skye says: “When I got the building, I initially wanted to do creative studios, but I always imagined having a bar and restaurant as the crown jewel.

“Things have been added on to that, but the idea was always to work in a place, come down and socialise, have some brunch and then be able to change the place at night

“That has been a driving force throughout.

“We’ve attached that thought process to Harbour House, designing things differently, keeping it a bit more contemporary but honouring the history of the building.

“We’re celebrating what’s here and adding character, rather than removing the story – we’re adding new chapters to it.”

“And no creative is prim and proper,” adds Amy, who previously opened an interiors company with Skye.

She says: “Everything and everyone is all over the place, so there are rough surfaces and metal tarnish on the stairs.

“Even the logo is rough around the edges.

“It needs that rough edge to make it fit with the people in the building.

“It’s not for everyone, but our ‘Houseys’ love it, we love it and Harbour loves it, so that’s all that matters.”

The numbers emphasise the affection for the venue, with 90 per cent of the building occupied across three floors.

Past Uncommon at the entrance is Northern Rye Bakery, opposite TUTTI and florist Muscari.

The first-floor studios and offices are taken up by Cargo, We Rise Wellness Studio, Quay Studio and videographer Paul Geist and creative agency Drishti.

And latest tenant Kove Club is making itself at home too.

The arrival of TUTTI – formerly Tutti & Co – was a coup for Skye and Amy. Led by designer Kate Rose, the lifestyle brand’s growth has coincided with its move to North Shields.

There are four additional staff, in-house designers and, in Kate, a businesswoman who has embraced the Harbour House ethic.

Amy says: “They’ve always been online and never had a store, but when they saw the project, they wanted to open a studio and expand their creativity here.

“Kate is such an amazing businesswoman; it’s inspiring to be around her and the quality of her products.

“With the name she has in the business world, it’s a big deal for us, and we’re honoured to have them.

“The support we’ve had from Cargo directors Paul and Kirsty has been invaluable too

“We are so unbelievably grateful for their guidance and help, which they provided before they even moved in.

“And we have all of the other businesses in the building coming together to help too.”

Skye adds: “We like the idea of as many creatives in one building as possible – one from each industry to foster collaboration and build an ecosystem where they help each other.

“I always thought it would be cool to have a space where I could work with other people –more like an event than just a building – and get creatives together.

“I know this concept will work.”

“As a partnership, we’ve got a really good balance of that feminine/masculine energy,”adds Amy, whose responsibilities at Harbour House include serving as director of experience and events.

She says: “Skye is like, ‘right, this is happening, I’m gonna build this now’, and I’ll say,‘how can I make it better – how can I do it with you?’

“I’ve been looking at the experience of the building and people who are in it, along with the events and the weddings, which will all be curated.

“We’ll go through every little aspect, every tiny detail from lighting to the formation of the room, drinks and curated menus.

“It’s all unique to the couple; it’s their story and Harbour House is a chapter in that story. “It just made sense for me to be here, because my strongest point is bringing these things to life.

“And, of course, we’ve got florists, a videographer and photographer we can recommend.

“Everything is in the building.”

harbourhousecollective.co.uk / Instagram: harbourhouse_

Words by Colin Young | Photography by Andrew Lowe