INSIDE

PHOTOS: PETE MEDLICOTT

STAG DIGBETH, COURTYARD UNIT 2, CUSTARD FACTORY, GIBB STREET BIRMINGHAM

WHEN DID YOU OPEN?

We opened Stag Digbeth in Birmingham in March 2019.

HOW WAS THE BUILDING PROCESS? DID YOU FACE ANY CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY?

From the day we picked up the keys to the launch evening, we completed the build in only six weeks. It was a huge challenge and learning curve for us all. We poured our heart and souls into it and have always been proud of that. Time was of the essence during the renovation process and with one hour to go until our launch, electric work still being completed, and legs of tables were being angle-grinded to a finish! It was a close call, but the launch night was a huge success and we look back now at what we achieved in that small amount of time and are we dead proud.

WHAT INFLUENCED THE INTERIOR DESIGN OF YOUR BARBERSHOP?

We are lucky to call this space home as it naturally has a great feel thanks to the skylight and wooden beams. We wanted to embrace that as part of the design. The venue is basically an amplification of the little barbershop we were in before. We just added bigger speakers, more barber chairs and a full bar so we could welcome more people. The space is a true representation of us all; our interests in culture, design, and music, as well as the history of barbershops – it was a great opportunity for us to show off our design flair and build an aesthetically pleasing space that our customers would enjoy spending time in. Given our barbering experience, we managed to capture what our clients wanted. Whether it’s for a date or heading out with mates post-trim, we wanted to create a stylish and artistic, yet practical, destination to accommodate their lifestyles. Our offering met this demand, and the interiors can switch from lowkey chilled vibes to a wavy party scene within the hour.

DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS OR THINGS YOU WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY IF YOU HAD TO DO IT ALL AGAIN?

We don’t take ourselves too seriously and are big believers that everything happens for a reason. From reopening to launch, we had to learn quickly and of course make a handful of mistakes along the way. We are all willing to grow through actively encouraging ourselves and the team to try new things and explore passions, but we don’t sit on regrets – what a waste of time!

IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT THE SPACE?

We all had such a hands-on approach to designing and turning our dream into reality, the space holds so many memories of this time and process we all experienced. We can point to any area of the space, and it has captured memories of one of the most stressful periods of our lives – all the graft, energy, and sleepless nights we had running up to the launch night. It’s quite funny to look back now, I’m not sure how we did it. A vivid memory is standing at the top of a high ladder painting the roof in the early hours of the morning trying to keep my eyes open - it was hard, but we are all so proud of what we created in such a small space of time.