A couple of weeks ago we said goodbye to Lisa, who ran The Workshop for six brilliant years. Before she left, we grabbed a coffee and looked back at quite a journey - a building that was once a nightclub, a town that's transformed around it, and the community she built along the way. Here's that conversation.
Let's start at the beginning. How did you first come to The Workshop?
My first experience of The Workshop was way back in 2013. I was a member here myself when I set up my own business. Even that, as a coworking experience, was so different to what it was when I took over - and more so what we've developed it to be since.
When I took the job on, it was about taking on a space that had been built from nothing. It was six years old by then. The offices were quite well established, and the coworking offering was various packages and some permanent desks. This idea of turning up and sitting next to someone you might not know… it's like, why would you want to do that? But even then, there were people who didn't have space to work at home, or didn't want to be at home. It's evolved a lot since.
Did you know the building's history before you worked here?
I did - before The Workshop, it was a nightclub called Pipers, which I did frequent. Probably underage at the time, because it was supposed to be over-25s. So it's the only time I could be there!
We had some good nights out in Pipers. But as a building you wouldn't recognise it now, because it was completely re-gutted. The only original part that still exists is the frontage. You really can't stand anywhere inside now and think, "oh, that's where the stairs at Pipers were." But anyone local who comes in tends to remember it - Pipers, and the kebab shop next door.
And Tontine Street itself has changed a lot in that time.
Tontine Street then was such a different place. It wasn't the nicest place to be, especially in the early hours with the nightclubs kicking out. Folkestone's become so much more, and The Workshop has really been a feature of that development and regeneration. Tontine Street is so different now. There are really established businesses here, and it's a place people want to set up a business.
For The Workshop, it was probably quite a lonely existence when it opened. Coworking was a very new concept to bring to a town like Folkestone - it was very much a London thing. From the year dot this place wanted to bring that London vibe, that Google-esque feel, to what felt like a small town. And that's what we've tried to keep going. It's modern, but it celebrates the creative side of Folkestone.
What do you think makes The Workshop work?
I've always liked that we've kept it mixed. We don't specialise in one industry like some venues do. With the mix of offices and the mix of people, you end up seeing collaborations between people. You get them chatting over coffee - their industries might be very different, but their experiences as business owners can be the same. It's all free-flowing advice, almost, and you feel like you've got that support from everyone around you. There's no real competition between anyone. It feels collaborative, and the opportunities are there.
What's changed most about the building in your time here?
It's got to be the changes we made downstairs. Three years ago we were coming up to the 10-year anniversary, and after discussions with the owner it was agreed it was a good time for a rebrand, and with it a new website. That was a really exciting process, because it felt like it was bringing the place into what it was becoming.
You have to remember, COVID hit four months after I started. For a place that offers somewhere to work, being told nobody could come in - you did wonder for a while what would become of it. And then we had people desperate to come back to a workplace they felt safe in.
The permanent desks had got really popular - for some people that was a security thing after the pandemic, knowing "that's my space". But it meant we had nowhere for people who just wanted a few flexible hours a week. So we developed the space downstairs just for those people - and that became Workbenches. There was no other offering like it in Folkestone, and it was so needed. That's been proven.
Any quirks of the building you've grown weirdly fond of?
The slide, definitely. It was put in originally as a way for staff to move between the two floors, and it's become a real feature. I weirdly just go "oh yeah, there's a slide" because I walk past it all the time - but others still get really excited by it, which reminds you: not everyone has a slide in their office.
Is there a member story that sums up The Workshop for you?
There are probably too many! But there are people like Justin and Chris, both photographers, who met at a coffee morning here. They've gone on to take on their own space on Tontine Street. If it hadn't been for The Workshop, they may never have met. There's lots of that - people using each other's services, partnerships forming, long-term relationships.
And the events. A lot of it is really just about people coming to meet people. Watching people run around the harbour and Tontine Street on a scavenger hunt, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Some members have moved away and are still in the WhatsApp group, and when they're back visiting, everyone meets up to catch up. Those lasting relationships - that's been quite a big thing.
What will you miss most?
It'll be the people. It's the bit of the job that's kept me going some days, if I'm honest.
For everyone who's turned up at the door having moved to Folkestone - sometimes literally the day before, with no internet, saying "I need to work" - it's not just about having a place to work. It's about coming and finding their people. Finding friendships, networks, community. When you welcome someone in and then see them relax, see them chatting over coffee or disappearing for a sea swim or a lunch - knowing that if this space wasn't here, they may never have met.
Those are the things I'll walk away thinking: I've created the spaces for that.
I've had really difficult conversations with people, really sad ones too - but they're far outweighed by the laughs and the good stuff, and celebrating people's successes. Being British, we're rubbish at celebrating our own wins. So you've got to do it for them - when people publish their books, any excuse to make a cake and bring it in.
And the nice thing is, I'm not really going anywhere. I'll still pop in. They're a really good bunch, so I'm sure there'll be plenty of coffee dates.
What's one thing you hope never changes?
The colour! It was always quite clinical - black, white, grey, blue. The rebrand allowed the colour to come in, and it's the one thing that always gets commented on. The orange wall, Workbenches. Colour's great.
But other than that, the community. There are so many people who need that place to go that isn't home. Creating a space people want to come to, and keep coming back to, is massive. So ultimately, it's the community I hope doesn't change.
Lisa - from all of us at The Workshop, thank you for six brilliant years. The orange wall stays, the spoons are safe, and the door's always open. 🧡