Bellerby & Co Globemakers.
For the 80th birthday of his father, the founder of Bellerby & Co Globemarkers wanted to search a nice world globe or globe to give him , but he found himself dissatisfied when he saw the type of balloons that were in most stores. So he got down to work to create his own balls of the world by hand.
That's how he was born in StokeNewington , London , a small workshop with young creatives who design balls of the world with the love and attention they deserve, because the lives and adventures of many people are condensed in them.
"No two balloons will be the same" They say on their website. The truth is that each of his creations are unique and 100% custom made.
“Each of our balloons has passed through at least 5 different hands, from start to finish. Craftsmanship is a slow process , but it does mean that our customers can personalize their balloons with their family history, their favorite travel destinations, or design the world around your passions , such as naval history or famous monuments around the world, etc.” Jade Aura of Bellerby & Co Globemarkers tells Traveler.es.
What would you put in your world globe?
The possibility of preserving something unique, that passes from one generation to another as a memory , in which personal trips and adventures are captured is priceless, That is why they point out from the workshop that many clients prefer an artisan work and well done than a simple Amazon purchase.
“I think people are really moving away from buying cheap items that wear out over time. People want to know the story behind your product , in our case, people can come to the studio, meet the artists who work in their world, see the process and even see it in progress on Instagram or receive photos if they live abroad”, he stresses.
Because one of the virtues of your business is that ship orders outside London , for this reason they have found clients of all kinds and with all kinds of concerns. “We have made hundreds of balloons in many sizes, from 22cm in diameter, which can be held in one hand, to 127cm in diameter, which is huge!”
Since its creation, they have had some of the most peculiar requests, such as on the path of a family history, world globes with historical moments, balls with Queen Elizabeth II waving and having a glass of wine... “A client asked us to draw his girlfriend as a topless mermaid swimming around the world. There are also some things that we sign non-disclosure agreements for!”
Still confess that they do not accept everything that customers ask for , that is, they have limits. “We would never take a country off the map,” explains Jade, referring to some problems with clients from Lebanon and Israel.
Her work in the studio requires little more than good hands, patience, time, paper, glues and watercolors. In addition to the skill of carpenters, painters and illustrators.
It all starts with choosing the size, the style of the base and the material, wood or metal, then they color it, add illustrations and finally deliver it to the customer, depending on the size, a few weeks later.
“ Most customers work with us through the entire process of customizing their globe. Some mark their favorite places in a special color or ask us to illustrate their memories of past adventures around the world.”