Tim Rice wants to turn The Corporation into a community hub to help local, sustainable vendors and entrepreneurs thrive
When you walk past the Corporation Pub on Cowbridge Road you can tell it’s a historic site.
Built in 1889, the pub was run by the Greene King brewery and had a reputation for attracting rough crowds. In 2017 it was briefly re-invented and a year later the entire property, extending from 190- 194 Cowbridge Road East, was auctioned off to Cardiff-based dentist Kevin Gracias (and an anonymous business partner) for £810,000.
Now Tim Rice, another Cardiff local and interior designer has been commissioned to give the pub yet another lease to life.
He was commissioned for the project by an old friend, who happens to be the pub’s anonymous new landlord.
This was five weeks ago. In another six weeks Tim wants the inside of the pub and the adjacent bookbinder offices (both currently a dusty construction site) to be a fully functioning in ecosystem of entrepreneurship, with gastronomical features, merchandise and services on offer.
“I’ve had it in my head for ages,” says Tim when I ask about the quick turnaround. “It’s a small budget but you know I’m good at what I do.”
As we stand outside the pub a car beeps and Tim waves and starts chatting with the driver. “We used to be here all the time man,” says the driver, who is quick to ask if the pub will reopen.
This turns out to be only the first in many encounters with people variously stopping for a chat or waving as they pass by.
Tim has kept his entrepreneurial streak. He designs furniture (the Aurora range is every bit as gold and chrome, 20’s glamour you would expect) and is now looking to create an outdoor range.
He also shows me a picture of a 70s looking full denim outfit, part of a collection he’s working on and we briefly go into a discussion about the costs of designing a prototype for a customised bed (about £6,000).
In 2008 Tim launched his portfolio as an interior designer with Mocka, on Mill Lane, which was also commissioned by the silent partner. 14 projects later, in 2016 he designed the Ffresh Cabaret Bar in the Wales Millennium Centre (the chrome bars decorating the ceiling were inspired by the rugged coastal formations of Barry Island).
His latest design concept for the Corporation Pub will take the form of a “sustainable supermarket.”
He explains that he wants to make buying locally more convenient and also help the community. “I always shop local so I thought why not open an eco-friendly supermarket with a bar, a coffee shop and there’s lots of reasons for people to come in.”
In contrast to the exterior of the pub, the interior space will look “very industrial but green,” with potted plants (for practicalities sake fake) decorating the ceiling.
As Tim and I walk along the taped-off sections on the floor he shows me where he wants to put the bar and the coffee shop, the rows of stalls. Further in the back a barber might want to rent-out some space, and here people will be able to enjoy a massage (or maybe acupuncture?)
“Anybody that’s got an idea…they can do it as long as it fits in with what we want – that it’s local, sustainable,” says Tim. “We don’t really want competition, we want someone to have an opportunity and survive.”
One of the stalls is to be run by a cheesemaker. When I ask him about it, Tim laughs. “I’m just thinking of my friends and what they do. I know a ceramicist and artists, sculptors, I have a friend who has bees, so I want a bit of everything.
“I’ve had hundreds of people enquiring, so there’s probably going to be a waiting list.”
He envisions that all the sections, be it a space offering services or product, to be rented on a short-term and flexible basis. “It will be a roll-on thing, no pressure,” he adds.
In the future there is also the plan to allow the pub’s vendors to rent fully serviced offices in the adjacent building to help them grow their business.
A sister concept will also come to Newport and could open five weeks after he opens the Corporation Pub. While Tim dodges my question about where it will be located, he gives me the hint that it looks “like a shell”.
What will we see when the Corporation Pub once again opens its doors in six weeks? As lockdown in Wales has just been extended another 3 weeks and a lot of detail still needs to be “pinned down”, at this point there are no guarantees, but it is definitely something to look forward to.
If you would like to get in touch with Tim to talk about the project please email jade@timricedesign.com. If you would like to get involved with the project you can fill in a trader application form here.
