Amanda Mansell is equity crowdfunding for a new venture called 'Loupe'

Loupe will be an experiential retail destination in Hatton Garden where people not only buy jewellery but learn about it and make it too. It will bring discerning consumers and UK artisans together by providing all under one roof:

• Unique jewellery collections by independent designer-makers
• Affordable communal workspace for artisans
• Jewellery making and skills improvement workshops for all levels
• Demonstrations and talks
• Networking, social events and private views.
• And lots more

Where will it be based?

The 1000 square foot premises comprises a basement and ground floor, designed to be a multi-purpose creative hub. The complete re-fit of the basement will be funded by a Camden Council grant to create a fully equipped affordable jewellery workshop. The ground floor will be a flexible space to accommodate retail, presentations, social events, jewellery workshops and demonstrations.

Who will it support?

Not only does Loupe aim to support the jewellery industry by providing opportunities to sell work, provide skills and business support and affordable workspace, it will also provide opportunities for artisans to teach and run workshops.

Loupe’s mission is to: Enrich lives through Creativity.

Why now?

It is fantastic time for craft - nearly 3 in 4 UK household buy it and it has now entered the mainstream market and viewed as a strong, growing UK economy. This growth runs parallel with the popularity of programs such as The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throwdown, inspiring at least 10m people a week to take part in arts and crafts. And a new BBC Bake-off style jewellery show called All That Glitters has been added to the mix! Art and craft has never been so visible. Aligned to this, is the increased awareness of the wellbeing benefits of taking part in creative activity, highlighted through lockdown as people turned to art and craft to ease anxiety.

As well as having a rich history, Hatton Garden’s future is looking very strong too with the imminent opening of Crossrail bringing around 1.5M extra people to central London, with Farringdon station, a few minutes away, being one of the busiest intersections. The premises where Loupe will be sits alongside Hatton Garden in Leather Lane.  With its artisan bustling food market, coffee houses, craft beer pubs and two designer craft jewellery shops, it reflects the new direction for retail and growing demand for engaging destinations. Loupe will be a valuable addition, providing a joined up digital and physical consumer journey, also essential for future proofing the high street.

Help make the concept a reality

See the full campaign with business idea, video, generous investor rewards, updates and more here

What is needed:

Loupe is equity crowdfunding which means when you invest you become a shareholder to own a bit of Loupe.

£80,000 minimum target

£56,000 raised so far

£24,000 to raise over remaining 13 days. 

Loupe is already set up - it needs the reamining £24k to get going

Loupe is also SEIS approved which is a generous Government scheme designed to help start-ups whereby investors receive 50% of their investment back in income tax relief.  So, if you were to invest £1,000, for example, you’d receive £500 back in income tax relief, but you still receive all the benefits of investing £1,000 into Loupe and so does Loupe.

Suppport the scheme here:

www.crowdcube.com

Get in touch

If you are an artisan interested in one of the workspaces then please email for brochure and more details. If you are interested in knowing more about the retail opportunities, or running your own workshop please also get in touch: 

info@loupelondon.com