Success & Seaweed: Haeckels takes over old casino in pioneering new project
From creating a bar of seaweed soap in his kitchen to global recognition, Haeckels founder Dom Bridges is getting ready to transform Cliftonville’s old casino into a thriving headquarters - with labs, growing rooms and much, much more - to show people exactly what they do, writes Marijke Hall
Dom Bridges of Haeckels
Dom is, in his own words, the man with the funny moustache and woolly hat who set up a shop in Margate.
He’s actually the man behind Haeckels, which is more than just a shop and rather a quiet revolution in the practice of creating 100% natural and sustainable skincare products.
Go back eight years and Dom, so convinced that ingredients sourced from the beach could become highly effective products, started making seaweed soap in his kitchen in Margate.
And so from one seaweed harvest, one bar of soap and the continued inspiration from the sea, it all began.
He admits what was meant to be a solo project snowballed and now Haeckels, which employs 40 people, can be seen in 90 different countries and has a spa in the Maldives.
The shop in Cliff Terrace in Cliftonville has also expanded to three floors. And now, in yet another big move, Dom has taken over the old casino in Cliftonville, near his shop, to create Haeckels Home.
His vision is to throw open the doors and show off what he and his team do and have been doing since the company’s inception.
There will be laboratories, growing rooms, making areas, recording and edit suites, candle making rooms, beehives and a restaurant - all filling the huge space and all open to the public.
There will be a fragrance and skincare school, as well as a beauty academy, which will take on students and train them up in the Haeckels’ way.
Haeckels’ will open at the old Genting Casino in Cliftonville
“For too long, we've been hiding on the outskirts of town, making use of small beat-up workshops, favouring meetings at the shop with clients rather than taking people to our actual HQ,” Dom says. “We had two back-to-back warehouses that are currently fit to bursting.
“Harvesting, manufacturing and distributing all of our products means we need a lot of space. So we have taken a giant leap and taken over the old casino.”
He says initially, in the search for more space, he thought they may have to go out of Margate, the place that inspired it all.
“That would have broken my heart,” he admits. “Then I was walking past the casino and I saw the sign.”
After signing a deal, the wheels are now in motion and he says it’s time to celebrate and show off what Haeckels is bringing to the area.
“Think of the Guinness Factory or breweries that you go to see when you visit places,” he said. “We can do the same and show people what we’re doing. This is a positive message. I think for any young person to see something which is self-made as a local business is really important.
“It’s come from having imagination, creativity and hard work. It’s supported by the community and what with everything everyone’s been through this past year, it’s time to celebrate what we’ve done, bring people inside and show them.”
Of course, when Haeckels first started, it was a very different operation.
“I’d be there making the product myself in my own oven in my kitchen,” he said. “I would lose customers if I was half way through making the formulation as I couldn’t just stop.
“I used to laugh that it was a kind of Chinese takeaway of skin care - you could see the kitchen in the back.
“We’ve lost that because it’s got so big and we went into a shop so almost behind a curtain. So I think to bring that back so people can see what we’re doing is very important.
“As a company we do everything so I want to have that all here for people to see. We want the coast to regenerate itself with a different type of tourism.”
The company, which also has a store in London, has grown substantially since those early days but Dom admits many people don’t realise quite how much.
“This is a really blossoming business,” he said. “I don’t think anyone really realises how much we’ve grown.
“It looks like a small shop that was set up by a funny bloke with a moustache and wooly hat. But Haeckels ‘Made in Margate’ is seen in 90 countries now. Together we have created something sustainable, a business that globally represents our coast and also makes careers.
“Turner has rightfully been celebrated. Dreamland has rightfully been celebrated. We need to be out on show, too, we’re as significant.”