Our Story


 

Kate and Piper Revere, Founders, of social enterprise, Revere Community CIC that empowers learning disabled 18-30 year olds.

Kate launched Revere the Residence (our retail shop) just before lockdown 2020, wanting to establish a homeware and lifestyle shop in the heart of her community in Hackney. Inspired by her creative eldest daughter Piper who has learning disabilities, autism and profoundly deaf.  Not the best timing but Kate new that this business would be needed more than ever as opportunities would be even smaller.

Less than 5% of people with learning disabilities are in employment in the UK, knowing this Kate wanted to provide a space for Piper when she left education where she could be creative, express herself, inspired, sociable and most of all safe. 

Opening the shop Kate realised the space could be much more than just a space for her and Piper but it needed to include those people who are learning disabled just leaving education to gain skills in the retail environment with the hope they'd have better opportunity to go on to paid employment.

The shop started selling fun creative products by local makers in Hackney and a few other small businesses from around the country, but while at work the Revere volunteers including Piper that were running the shop felt inspired and started creating their own designs. Which were all just beautiful, funny honest and joyful. Pipers art work developed being, notes to her imaginary boyfriends about love or heartbreak of sometimes cheeky notes to her family, but all with a magical connection and way she could express herself where she can't always through language or social situations.

This is when the Revere artist side of the business was born and now every time the shop can it reinvests any money it makes back into the designs made by Revere artists. Now selling cards, art, clothing, ceramics, stationary, candles and accessories.

Piper has gone onto design the global Christmas window displays in collaboration with Vivienne Westwood at all their stores. 3 Revere artists have designs in their A/W 24/25 collection. Collaboration with Albaray with 3 T-Shirt designs with her notes on them. We wholesale to the Wellcome Collection and Holly & Co and have had exhibitions at Hackney Council and See you in Stokey.

We hold regular free art workshops for the learning disabled community in Hackney that isn't all about what we create but also the friendships and time we spend with each other. 

Thank you