We really love the story of how Zest for Print became such a special member of our Towndoor tenant community. 

Chris tells us, ‘I was working long hours for a printing company in Wakefield and due to the business closing down, I had to think about what to do next. My dad had his own business, and I began to think about starting up my own printing business from scratch. With very limited funds to spare we found a small space ten years ago in an old David Brown Tractors spray painting shed in Meltham Mills’.

For all of you history buffs out there, this is a slice of fantastic local history – this world renowned and famous tractor company, which began in 1936, played a very significant role in World War Two. Thousands of aeroplane gears and tank transmissions were made at the Meltham works, and it was singled out as a prime target for the Luftwaffe. However, as their factory was located in the deeply wooded valley, clever camouflage measures and the construction of mock wooden buildings on a nearby moor saved it from being found by the enemy planes. Who knows if they helped to win the war!

So, into a little corner of this illustrious site went Chris and his dad, only to discover that there had been a flood and that the unit was full of water. Undeterred, with hard graft and many buckets of water later (just kidding, it was a pump!) the unit was ready, Chris moved in, and Zest for Print was born.

Chris remembers, ‘in the first year I joined the local BNI group (BNI is an international business networking organisation) and went along to my first meeting at 6am in the morning at the Italian restaurant underneath the Huddersfield Hotel. From there the group just grew and grew and 90% of my business ended up coming from referrals, and that’s how I built my business. I had also started a family around this time, so it was a busy few years!’

The story of how Chris and Zest for Print came to grow the special relationship with Towndoor is also heart-warming. Chris is happy to tell us that Dan Bamforth, our owner, is the only client he has ever really chased! Chris explains, ‘I got an introduction to Dan and went on to carry out a small job, very soon we had started to do more and more and Towndoor then became a much-valued customer’’.

Seven years later, whilst everything was going along nicely in the ‘shed’ (Chris’s nickname for his base!) planning permission was granted for houses on the site. Chris goes on to say, ‘Dan approached me and asked why don’t we move to bigger premises? We then drove up the road and went to see a space that Towndoor were planning to renovate. This was the old Myer’s Blacksmiths, it was completely black inside but straight away we could see the potential, it was 2800 square feet of fantastic space and just what we needed to keep growing the business. Since then, we have gone from strength to strength and Dan and Towndoor could not do enough for me’.

Community and relationships are really important to us at Towndoor, and Zest for Print embody all of these values and more. Zest for Print have an open-door policy with customers, and many of them do pop in for a brew and a chat! Despite the ‘Beware of Bruce’ sign on the door, Bruce the doggy is always out-front wagging his tail and ready to greet customers.

Chris leaves our chat with these thoughts, ‘the world will go on and the community will get stronger. You should always do something extra that you didn’t do before – it will give you a new lease of life!’

We are delighted to have Zest for Print on board as part of our Towndoor tenant community.