Creative with paper

Creating a business opportunity

A creative career was always on the cards for Bangor’s Jenna Kirkwood, founder of the Paper Pattern Company, which she set up with the help of Invest Northern Ireland’s Go for it programme.

The Arts Council was quick to spot her talent and wasted no time in giving her the opportunity to develop it further in Washington DC, where she honed her papermaking and book-binding skills at the collaborative art studio Pyramid Atlantic.

Jenna returned to Northern Ireland with the desire to fill a gap in the market for high quality, handmade stationery and started her business last April after completing the Go for it programme.

“Signing up for the Go for it programme was a hugely positive experience for me,” said Jenna. It gave me confidence to go ahead with my idea and start up the business on my own.

“Initially I was daunted by the financial and marketing aspects of growing a business, but I was reassured to discover that all the seminars I attended were not only informative, but very practical.

“The Go for it programme helped me to identify whether or not I had a potential business, encouraged me to carry out specific market research on my idea, and helped me to put a business plan together. It was also a really good way to network with other business owners and those thinking about setting up their own businesses.

“After completing the Go for it programme, I qualified for website support . As a result, I now have my own website and I am currently working on getting the online shop up and running.”

The Paper Pattern Company sells handmade stationery and offers courses in print-making techniques, papermaking and bookbinding. Jenna makes her paper using plant fibres and binds notebooks by hand in her studio. She also uses hand printmaking techniques to print her own notebook covers and greetings cards at Seacourt Print Workshop in Bangor.

Having already shown her work in the USA, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Cork, Jenna recently attended Top Drawer, a London show which brought together a showcase of over 700 carefully selected British and International suppliers of cutting edge designs.

“It’s a step in the right direction for the business – and some day I hope it grows enough so my paper products can be made in a developing country, providing sustainable jobs for local people,” she added.

The Go for It programme is provided by Invest Northern Ireland and is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund. For details, log onto www.goforitni.com.