Canterbury Bears
Meet the maker
The Canterbury Bears Workshop is nestled in the Kentish Countryside, a short distance from the Cathedral City of Canterbury and is rooted in its location and its history. Kerstin Blackburn is an impressive business woman, whose passion is apparent in every aspect of this artisanal company, from her designs to the relationships she nurtures with suppliers and partners. A traditional brand, with traditional values and practices, run through with an authentic story that people understand and want to be part of. Sustainability has always been part of their business practice, stemming from a time when there was not an ‘eco’ business vocabulary, it was simply the way the family believed the bear-business should be run. The parallels with Caryn’s creation of Thyme are unmistakable and it felt like the perfect partnership to approach Kerstin herself to create sheep and lambs that would be an important part of our ‘Take a Little Thyme’ range.
1. CAN YOU SUM UP THE CANTERBURY BEARS’ STORY AND WHY IT IS SO SPECIAL?
We have been making Bears here in our workshop since 1979, when my father, British painter John Blackburn was commissioned by a friend to design and make a “very traditional bear” for his Mother’s 80th Birthday, who had lost her childhood bear during the course of her life. This is very much a family business and we are privileged to have a team of dedicated and experienced bear makers who share a place with us in the Canterbury Bear story. Many of our team have been with us from the start and between us we have over 200 years of bear making experience. From the outset the ethos of our family business is that we are always 100% designed and handmade in England. Whilst our bears and animals are made here in Kent we have had the privilege of making bears and animals for some very iconic brands and our bears may be found in homes across the world as well as our own the Royal Household, Presidential palaces, and Flagship stores around the world so it is was very exciting to be invited to design and make the beautiful sheep for Thyme.
"FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS"
We make our bears, sheep and other animals in small batches, individually cut, machined, filled, hand-stitched and finished, with each and every one finally hand checked by me or Mother before leaving our workshop ensures our commitment to the highest quality. Our Bears and animals are made to last a lifetime and beyond, leaving our workshop with the underlying belief that our products truly are ‘From our Family to Yours’. When you buy something made by us, we can guarantee you it has been made with love by an experienced and dedicated team here. As a small company with a large presence I like to think we have remained accessible and available and I am frequently in touch direct with our current, past and future bear owners, and prospective clients when we are creating new designs and ideas. This personal contact is one of the many things that I love about being at the head of the company and keeps me connected.
2. LIKE THYME, CANTERBURY BEARS IS A FAMILY BUSINESS – WE LOVE HEARING ABOUT HOW OTHER FAMILIES MANAGE THE DYNAMICS OF WORKING TOGETHER.
Like all families, the dynamics change over time and it is just as true with our family business as it has grown and developed across the decades. It’s hard to remember a time when Canterbury Bears, wasn’t right at the centre of our family and like all family businesses the boundaries between family life and work life can be a little blurred. As our family has grown, so has “The Bears” as we call our business at home, and many of our most treasured bears were designed by my father to mark the birth of each new child in our growing family. I started working with my parents at the workshop in 1979 and since 2000 I have taken over the day to day running of the company as MD, with my Mother alongside me. Whilst the creative energy and dynamism of my parents, now in their eighties, never seems to diminish, my father stepped back from the company in 2001 in order to focus on his art. His studio is next door to our workshop and he is always on hand should we need his design input or advice. At times its “all hands to the deck” – particularly this year - and other members of our family drafted in to help with brushing, bowing and dressing our bears, wrapping and boxing and sometimes hand delivering local orders. Occasionally Mother and I do have different ideas about new designs and traditional ranges but we have been working together over so many years we have learned to trust each other's instincts and we do have our “extra family members” in our skilled bear making team who may be invited to give a view; our chief bear maker has been with us for nearly 40 years. Growing up in such a creative and artistic family has given me the skills to find sometimes creative solutions to the challenges of running a small artisan company making bears and animals for customers across the country and the globe. Prior to starting his own construction company, my brother worked closely with “the bears”. He is a dab hand with our cutting and sewing machines when they need a tweak, and I know I can always count on his support if the going gets tough. I’m also lucky to have a very supportive husband and children who understand the demands of the job, especially when the working days stretch well beyond the 9-5 and the Monday to Friday. It certainly is a family enterprise but one that we all love.
3. YOU ARE CANTERBURY BEARS’ MANAGING DIRECTOR, BUT YOU DESIGNED OUR SHEEP FOR US, DO YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THE WORKSHOP MAKING BEARS?
Yes, I am in the workshop most days, not just in my office but I am often to be found at the production table, cutting and sewing bears or at the blow filler stuffing them. Much as being MD involves all aspects of running the company, I still love to get my hands on a bear, or a sheep, or even a hedgehog, and nothing quite beats the delight of seeing something I have designed come to life as we complete the final stages of production. It also gives me an opportunity to work alongside our team, which as a small family company is very important and some of our most creative designs have evolved as we work together on different stages of production.