For nearly 30 years Openhouse has been operating as a small, family run business from our roots on The Wirral. We are really proud of our status as a British manufacturer which is why we are a member of the Make It British directory. In fact, the number of enquiries which we receive through the directory shows that it is also an important, and often deciding factor for our customers. Whether it is to support our economy, to invest in traditional skills or for the ease of communication and transportation, there are many reasons why more and more consumers are turning to British manufacturing.

Our bags are handmade right here in Wirral by our talented team of sewing machinists. We work in partnership with Wirral Lifelong Learning Service (part of the adult education unit of the Borough Council) who have started a sewing school teaching people how to use industrial sewing machines in an effort to bring back this incredibly important but dying skill set. It also makes a great home for any of our scrap fabrics for the students to practise on, so none of our materials go to waste! In recognition of the importance of this skill, the council invested in a classroom of industrial sewing machines for students to learn on.

Our new production manager has also been instrumental in supporting all our sewing machinists by restructuring life on the sewing floor. We have heavily invested in in-house training and development by introducing our team of “Expert Machinists”. These three ladies train up our new starters and act as mentors to those with limited experience to help them feel confident working on these impressive machines – they’re quite intimidating compared to your granny’s old Singer at home!

With the majority of our sewing team having been at Openhouse for over 10 years, they are very talented at construction, adapting their skills week by week to create the huge variety of bespoke orders as they come through. Our machinists are a testament to the positive feedback we receive on the quality and durability of our bags.

Wherever possible, our supply chain is as local as can be in using British-made, raw materials. We are also constantly investing in the latest equipment to improve our efficiency and support the staff who work on our range of specialised machines.

Now more than ever we are all learning the value of the industries and resources we have here on our little island. Openhouse, as a British manufacturer, are proud to be supporting British services, organisations and businesses.

We welcome enquiries from any sector, so please get in touch to see how we can help.