NICKY HAMILTON, Co-Owner

Nicky’s first career was as a physiotherapist. As the years went by, she realised she wanted to do something more creative and tried out an evening class in upholstery. She loved it so much, she enrolled on a City & Guilds course in upholstery and furniture restoration. This is where she met Renee. They soon realised they shared a passion for upholstery and after completing the course, they went into business together and found the perfect workshop space in the old station building at Redland Train Station. When Renee moved away from Bristol, Nicky worked on her own for a few years until taking on Erica as her apprentice in 2014. They officially became business partners in 2016.

Nicky says:

“Upholstery has given me so much fulfilment over the years. I love the entire restoration process: from stripping back the old, tired fabric and stuffing, repairing and rejuvenating woodwork, to fixing the top layer of fresh, new fabric. I now also teach upholstery: at Hamilton & Hodson and at Stoke Lodge (run by Bristol City Council). When Erica joined the business, we soon fell into a rhythm and naturally fell into different roles. I favour the more processed-based administration tasks (stock control, banking, writing estimates), whereas Erica focuses on building Hamilton & Hodson’s online profile through marketing and PR and researching fabrics. We are the perfect match!”