Something borrowed something new - 'The Borrow Shop' secures £8,000 in crowdfunding to go live!

Masters student Sophie Watson (MSc Urban Regional Planning) has created a venture called The Borrow Shop which aims to encourage borrowing, discourage wasteful spending on one off purchases and create a community culture of sharing. The Borrow Shop can be accessed online and will also shortly be open in a new shop location in Birmingham.

Sophie: Imagine a world where you had access to a range of high quality items, but you didn't have to buy outright, store, and fix or upgrade them... that is what The Borrow Shop is. Think steam cleaners, power tools, fold-up chairs and extra crockery for those post-covid dinner parties, sturdy crates for moving home... the possibilities are endless.

In addition to a library of things, The Borrow Shop will also be a place to grab a coffee and we'll sell a small selection of curated sustainable homeware items you wouldn't borrow (think candles and prints)! This enables us to support and showcase local makers. We have a strong emphasis on community and hope it to be a great space for people to meet as well as borrow.

In 2019, England alone produced 23 million tonnes of household waste. In addition, the UK produces the 2nd highest amount of electrical waste in the world! This is simply unsustainable for our planet and we must do better. The Borrow Shop will help to reduce waste in our community and promote a sharing environment.

I started working on The Borrow Shop at the end of 2020. We ran a crowdfunder campaign during April and raised over £8,000! At the moment, we're getting our shop ready to hopefully open in July/August 2021.

What are the best and worst aspects of running your own business?: 

The best aspects of running a business are getting to decide when and what you work on. Working for yourself comes with a lot of freedom and flexibility. Arguably this could also be the worst aspect as there's no one following up with what you're doing! The worst aspect for me is probably the financial stresses of running a business.

Name one thing you wish you knew before you started your business venture: 

To just ask people for advice! It can be quite daunting to approach people but everyone I've spoken to has been very helpful and friendly!

What has been the biggest takeaway from your experience?:

 

Take every day as it comes. I've learnt so much over the past few months and continue to do so! It can be quite overwhelming if you think about it as one big task, so taking everything as it comes is much more manageable.

The Borrow Shop are currently setting up their new shop at the Old Biscuit Factory in Caroline Street, Birmingham. Find out more about The Borrow Shop via their website here.

With thanks to Sophie Watson

Edited by Bob Lee (B-Enterprising, University of Birmingham)