Skip to content

Paul Boal, Clever Ghost

“Blick Studios proved to be the catalyst that helped drive our growth. Its affordable desk space meant that we could be situated in BT1 amongst other creative businesses located in the bustling Cathedral Quarter, opening up opportunities to collaborate. The central location meant we had access to loads of potential clients, were easily accessible and it opened us up to networks both internally through Blick and within Belfast. The hub that Blick has built to support businesses no matter what stage they’re at has been invaluable in terms of helping Clever Ghost grow and expand. They’re affordable, provide excellent facilities, great locations, support residents through networking, promotion and encourage their residents to get involved with events, workshops, or contribute to creative projects that they’re involved with. For anyone looking to start a business, we would highly recommend beginning that journey at Blick and for anyone who already is established then, Blick offers the chance to expand your network and become part of a growing creative community that is shaping Belfast and beyond.”

cleverghost.studio

Ciaran, Crude Studios

“Blick’s Hill Street Studios are a perfect setting for harnessing creativity and hatching new ideas alongside like-minded folk from all artistic backgrounds. Located smack-bang in the heart of the bustling Cathedral Quarter, inspiration is only ever a lunch-break away!”

crudestudios.com

Will, Architect

“I previously ran my architecture practice from home and since moving into Blick I have found that my productivity has increased significantly (probably doubled!). The facilities are great: The shared area, which I use for client meetings creates the right balance between creativity and professionalism, while the shared studio space is simple and functional while allowing for personalisation.”

thorntonarchitecturestudio.com

Karishma, Designer

“Being at Blick Studios has been a great experience for me as a designer. I have met many likeminded creative entrepreneurs and Christine and Rosy have done a lot to support local creative businesses through collaboration, events and their time.”

karishmasworld.com

Alex, Designer

“Blick’s Hill Street studios are bang in the middle of one of the most exciting and creative areas to be in. It’s a great space to be in, and full of like-minded people from all manner of disciplines which in itself creates all manner of opportunities.”

thefirst47.com

Ed, Alley Cats

“Blick is a great location, and an equally great office environment. Hill Street is at the happening heart of Belfast, the local bars and eateries offer a wide choice to take clients, and the office itself feels a well thought through creative space to be in. It is well run, with a light touch and enabling management style which still ensures that everything is done that needs to be. It is actually a joy to work in.”

alleycats.tv

Elena, Graphic Designer

“It has been a great experience moving into Blick. The space itself is fresh, vibrant, and in a really good area. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a work space within a creative community.”

elenamagliveras.com

Paul, tenx9

“Blick Studios on Hill Street was a fantastic place to be based. A wonderful creative, hard working atmosphere in a perfect city centre location with all the benefits that brings. The excellent facilities include strong wifi, clean kitchen, meeting areas and generous space for periods of downtime. A great team and a lovely vibe to the whole experience.”

tenx9.com

Katrina, Photographer

“A big thanks to you for everything. Was such a lovely place to work in, you’s are doing a great job, I would happily recommend Blick to others.”

Katrina's Website

Katherine, Illustrator

“It’s been a fantastic opportunity for me as a freelancer. Beforehand, I’d never fully settled on the idea of fully emerging myself as an Illustrator, but the desk space enabled me to focus all my ideas and get on with the work. I’ve gained commissions and made connections with other creatives I would never have otherwise and other opportunities have presented themselves in the process.”

LinkedIn

Patrick, Designer

“Blick looked like the perfect next step for our business and would give us a workspace in an entirely different part of town with new scenery and exciting businesses around us. The design-focused workshops and events made Blick look like the perfect fit for us, as Elixsr has good design principles at it’s core, being surrounded by people with the same passion screamed nothing but benefits to us.”

Paul, Illustrator

“So pleased to have discovered Blick Shared Studios and all they have to offer the creative industries – I couldn’t recommend them any higher.”

Author's Profile

Stay in the

Sign up for our newsletter to hear from us about our projects, events and all things Blick.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Thanks for signing up!
Our third and final writeup sharing insights from the Retail Ready Fieldtrip for Ulster University Enterprise Placement Year Students we hosted in October 2025.

We previously shared some of our best insights from the day from Linzi and Emma, today we are sharing those from Rachel McIlgorm founder of Story Box NI a community interest initiative seeking to support and raise awareness of local businesses and social enterprises.

01. Email and introduce yourself. Rachel suggested for retailers such as hers which are social enterprises and interested in the ethics of their suppliers you should send an email and introduce yourself and share your story and why your product would fit their shop.

02. Invest in good quality images of your products.

03. Make sure you know your pricing. Account for retailers margins and include details of your pricing when contacting retailers.

04. Don’t be afraid to follow up if you don’t get a response from a retailer.

05. Use your story to market your product. Make your story personal and use it throughout your marketing and branding to differentiate your product.
- - OUR STUDIOS - -

When we started Blick back in 2008, our ambition was to create beautiful but affordable spaces in great locations in Belfast for creatives to work in productively and creatively alongside other like-minded creatives.

We started with just one building, our Malone Studios in South Belfast, then took on two others in the Cathedral Quarter, our Hill Street studios and Cotton Court studios. In 2024 we had to leave our beautiful Malone studios, but were super fortunate to find our gorgeous new Great Northern Street studios instead. All our studios provide a mix of private studio spaces and shared workspace with dedicated desks and storage.

- - HILL ST - - 

Our Hill St studios are our biggest providing workspace to over 25 creatives within an open plan loft space with high ceilings and original features close to Belfast School of Art right in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter. Our Hill St studios can also be used as a virtual office for creatives who want a professional city centre address for their business.

- - COTTON COURT - -

Our Cotton Court studios are our most affordable studios providing both shared and private workspace to over 10 creatives in a building full of different creatives in the Cathedral Quarter.

- - GREAT NORTHERN STREET - - 

Our Great Northern Street studios provide shared and private workspace to over 15 creatives and are located just off the Lisburn Road in a modern glass fronted building nestled between traditional red brick Belfast terrace houses.

Our spaces all offer dedicated desks with storage or private studio space with prices from £130 per month. All our prices include rent, rates, utilities and broadband. Our spaces are all designed to be professional, but welcoming creative environments.

Taking a space at Blick is more than just a physical space; it's about meeting and working alongside like-minded people, collaborating, learning, and sharing experiences. We have small 1-2 person private studios coming available in both our Cotton Court and Great Northern Street studio, visit our website or get in touch for more info:

https://blickstudios.org/
Looking forward to this tonight in our Hill St studios as part of @belfastdesignwk

https://blickstudios.org/events/blick-creative-talk-maureen-laverty-product-and-fashion-designer/
Some of the things we are organising at Blick in May

Blick Creative Talk – Maureen Selina Laverty Product and Fashion Designer
Event Date: Tuesday 5th May 
Event Time: 7.00-8.00pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB
Cost: Free

Rapid Feedback for Makers - one-on-one industry feedback ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT
Event Date: Wednesday 6th May
Event Time: 11:00am-4:00pm
Location: Belfast School of Art Shop, 25-51 York St, Belfast BT15 1ED
Cost: Free

Womenfolk X Kitsch Sisters Creative Practice Commitment Workshop: Embroidered & Printed Tote Bag
Event Date: Wednesday 6th May
Event Time: 6.00-8.00pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB
Cost: £20

Design Stories: Motion Graphic Showcase & Poster Exhibition. Session 1 & Session 2
Event Date: Thursday 7th May
Event Time: 9.00pm-10.00pm
Location: Belfast Stories (Bank of Ireland Building) 92 Royal Avenue, Belfast, BT1 2GU
Cost: Free

Seaside Books Intermediate Weekly Poetry Workshop
Event Date: Tuesday 12th May
Event Time: 6.30 - 8.00pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 65 Great Northern Street, Belfast, BT9 7FL
Cost: £40

More info on the events page of our website: https://blickstudios.org/events/
- - BELFAST WRITERS GROUP – Creative Writing Workshop - - 

Saturday 25th April

12.00 - 4pm

Cost: £12

Join Belfast Writers Group for a Saturday afternoon creative writing workshop at Blick Studios on April 25th from 12.00-16.00. Tickets are £12 per person.

Belfast Writers Group is focused on providing high quality writing feedback while building community for writers across genres and levels of experience. During the workshop we will work through several curated writing prompts, and the main part of the workshop will be a guided feedback session based on a structured model. Bring along your stories, poetry, songs or anything in between – all forms and genres are welcome. You might also like to think beforehand about any areas of the work you would like specific guidance on, e.g. a particular scene or character. DM any questions to  @belfastwritersgroup on Instagram or email at writersgroupbelfast@gmail.com

https://blickstudios.org/events/belfast-writers-group-creative-writing-workshop-2/
- - CREATIVE ADVENTURE CLUB - - 
- Wed 15th April 
- 6.30 - 8pm 
- Blick, Hill St studios 

Would you like to squeeze a bit more creativity into your daily life?

This Wednesday @homewerk.project's Creative Adventure Club returns to help shake up your routine. Every fortnight they meet in person where you’ll be given a mystery creative assignment.

They will share the results of their tasks with the group at their fortnightly meet-ups.

Between meet-ups, they have online check-ins, chats with creatives, and other inspiration boosters.

No matter what your creative tendencies – writing, doodling, drawing, 

painting, playing with video or audio – Creative Adventure Club is for everyone.

https://blickstudios.org/events/creative-adventure-club-2/
Happy Easter! For anyone else working a bit over the holidays here are some great tips from Emma Jackson founder of Hunter Paper Co for creatives interested in selling their work through shops. From a visit we did to see Emma in Hunter Paper Co back in October with Ulster University Enterprise Placement Year Students 

Emma is the designer for @hunterpaperco a letterpress stationery brand as well as owner of their own stationery store in Belfast, so she had some great insights from both designer and retailers perspective.

01. Create products with a function. Emma suggested creating products that have a function to increase your sales and stockists

02. Focus on your packaging. Emma echoed Linzi’s thoughts on our last retail ready blog the value of packaging when creating a successful product for retail

03. Visit tradeshows for merchandising tips to set your products apart from others

04. Consider sending physical samples to potential retailers so they can properly experience your product and your commitment to your creative business

05. Emma suggested Faire was a great resource for researching competitors pricing

https://blickstudios.org/blog/retail-ready-insights-for-creatives-from-emma-jackson-founder-of-hunter-paper-co/