Custom Made

In March 2024, we were invited to take on a shop unit in Custom House and transform it into a space for community benefit — a place where people can build relationships, develop skills, and gain experience running activities or selling their products. Named in collaboration with resident feedback, this space is called Custom Made — a hub for celebrating all things local. The space will be programmed by local people using a peer-to-peer approach, where individuals are paid to facilitate activities. By spending money locally, we help build capacity and resilience within the community. Custom Made exists within the context of a wider regeneration programme, which will bring new homes and commercial spaces to the area. While the unit itself will undergo physical transformation over the two years of this project, the aim is to demonstrate what’s possible with a new kind of community space — and to grow the community’s capacity to manage these spaces as they become formalised in the forthcoming Masterplan. The transformation will include vibrant new window vinyls, a clear division between the shop front and workshop area, and the creation of a flexible space for hosting workshops.