Poppy Treffry is a designer and maker known for her playful, hand-stitched textiles. Working from her studio at Pixel, she runs a close-knit team creating colourful, characterful pieces while championing the creative spirit of Penzance.
Hi Poppy, what made you choose Pixel? Where were you before this?
Long story short, I really missed Penzance and everything it has to offer because my partner and I live in the countryside.
I enquired about Pixel before Forward Space had even taken over, and thought there’s no way it’s going to work for us—it’s half the size of our old industrial unit, and it’s upstairs. But then I realised with the lift, we could make it work. So, I drew it all out to scale—every single bit of furniture on little bits of paper—and moved it around until it fit. And it does work!
Ideal! You mentioned Forward Space, have they helped you find your feet since moving in?
Definitely, they just treat us really nicely. They’ll say there’s ice cream downstairs, come and get it, or it’s doughnuts today. In summer they had a BBQ in the yard outside, which was really sunny and lovely, so we met loads of new people.
The week we moved in they had an opening night with a band and everything. We couldn’t believe it. We’d just moved from our industrial unit out in the countryside and we were so tired from the move. But it was brilliant, and we still danced!
Viv, the hairdresser here, has run a workshop and there’s a life drawing and portrait class in the room below us. Our hobbies have increased tenfold.
Do you have a favourite spot for catching up with people?
The communal areas and the kitchen are brilliant for that, and the stairwell and the entrance. You go to make a cup of tea in the kitchen and come back 40 minutes later because you’ve been chatting.
Some people are very good at just knocking on doors, like Helen, the architect next door. She’s really sociable. She literally just came and knocked and said, “Hello, I’m moving in next door.”
I think people are respectful because we all do very different things. The lady who does massage has clients half-naked in her room, and Rich has students doing piano lessons. You feel like people are working and you don’t want to interrupt. Though I reckon when we all settle in more there’ll be more of that, maybe to the point where we won’t get any work done!
We’ve heard some nice stories about people working with each other since meeting here, have you experienced that?
Not so far, but it’s early days. There’s a lady downstairs who I was chatting to about a possible collaboration.
It’s bound to be one of the bonuses of this many interesting creative businesses in one space—we’re going to find ways to help each other out. And I had a whole load of mugs of St Michael’s Mount that were printed in the wrong colour, so I’ve been selling those off cheap. I think they’ve become Pixel currency!
And how do you think local people have responded to Pixel?
I think it’s not very Penzance, but I think that’s a good thing. We really love the way the old wall of the car park has been incorporated into the building. I really like that this building’s different and bold and brave, because otherwise you get such ugly buildings.
People often don’t want anything outside the norm so I know there was some animosity towards it when it was being built. But Forward Space has been really open to inviting people in and saying, “Come and have a look.” And because they’ve treated us so well, I guess we’re ambassadors for it. So they’re knocking down those barriers with the locals.
Can you see Pixel having an economic impact on the town?
You hope it’s having a positive effect. The garage nearby seems happy that there’s 60 potential new customers next door! That’s where I’ll be getting my MOT done.
We’re quite self-sufficient, we always bring our own lunch, but we still go into town most days and get bits and pieces. I buy my vegetables from the greengrocer on this street, and pop into the chemist rather than ordering on Amazon.
I can see the change in the people. At Thornes, where we get our milk, they always say hi. They just know where we’re from. And I see a lot of people coming back with Loafs Bakery bags for their lunch. So you think that, multiplied by however many people are in here, must make a difference.
One of the ambitions for Pixel was for it to be a catalyst for Penzance. Do you think that’s realistic?
Yes! We feel very positive about Penzance because there’s lots of things opening at the moment—creative spaces, bakeries, restaurants, bars.
Penzance has always struggled, but it’s also always been brilliant. It feels like a well-kept secret. It’s got lots of creative people, a good community, but also a rougher, edgier side to it, and quite a lot of poverty in terms of Cornwall as a whole. It’s nice that the positive momentum is coming from the people of Penzance who want to make it better.
What do you think helps towns like Penzance realise their potential?
I think very often councils hold themselves back, or certain elements of the community have held Penzance back as well. Developments haven’t made the most of Penzance’s assets. We’ve got a prom—half of which is turned into a car park.
But then I also think the positive change is coming from the people. A lot of people leave Penzance and then move back with all their experience of living somewhere more affluent or more developed. They come back with enthusiasm and they can see the potential.
Thanks so much, Poppy—really lovely chatting and hearing how you’re helping keep that creative energy flowing in Penzance.
