VINCENT VAN DOODLE ART & DESIGN
Vincent Van Doodle are an art and design store, specialist framers and bespoke creators of original personalised goods for the home. Our UK based store is located in Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre, whilst our online shop ships nationally and worldwide. Starting in 2012, Jules Bedwood and Oli Silvester created the art business to present a new style of ‘fast art’, bringing together modern design led ideas and popular culture, music history and film. We specialise in Wall art, Card art, Bespoke design, Picture Framing and Photography. Recently we’ve committed to new line of apparel and clothing too, coming mid 2018.
It’s all about doing things a little bit different. We choose to look at the newest trends and fresh ideas coming out of the interiors industry, then mix that good stuff with a blend of history, nostalgia and inspiration. In an age where you can buy anything online and most high streets look the same, it’s strangely hard to find something that specifically speaks to you. Bespoke design and left of centre ideas are where we come in.
We promise to not be stuffy about our work. The art world is full of stuffy folk! Our designs are all created by us, framed by us and priced affordably. Our manufacturers and suppliers of art paper, frames and lighting are all local, UK based. We’re proud to be brummies and love what we do.
Vincent isn’t a real person by the way. It just sounded cool when we started this. 😊
WHAT YA GET
100% INDEPENDENT
BESPOKE DESIGN
FINE ILLUSTRATION
PROFESSIONAL FRAMING
PERSONALISED GIFTS
HOME AND OFFICE
HOW DID THIS ALL BEGIN?
Sometime in March 2013 Jules and I were sitting at home, coffee and tea on the table between us and a notebook of ideas open. We’d recently decided that the corporate lifestyle was slowly driving everyone around us nuts. Working long hours, lots of stressing, not much sleep, you know the story.
Our new born daughter was asleep in the lounge. We’d be given a brief moment of calm to sit down and think things through.
We needed a plan. Yep, that’s it. A plan.
“I don’t think I can work in an office anymore. I want to do something worthwhile.
I mean, how do we bring our daughter up saying that ‘you can do anything you want to do with your life!’ but we don’t do that ourselves?”
“I know, me too. If I have to answer another telephone I think I’ll implode.”
Ok, we’re agreed…so…. what do we do?”
“Well, what are we good at, and what do we enjoy doing?”
“Mmmm, I make a mean chilli, but the food-truck thing is going to get messy and flipping tortillas everyday might do my head in. You’ll smell of garlic all the time too.”
“True. How about that dessert shop thing you were going on about?”
“Nah, I don’t think I can bring myself to make cakes all day. I’ll just eat them and get massive.”
“Right, so…What about your drawing and illustrating?”
“I haven’t done that for years, and I dunno… I’d love it… but where would we even start?”
“Where does anyone start? There’s nowhere that does art and graphics anymore. It’s all online or it costs a fortune. I reckon there’s something we could do.”
“So, I’ll do the art and the graphics, you do the home stuff like kitchenware and cushions?”
“Well, yeah you do the art and graphics, I’ll come up with the ideas, because you’re rubbish at ideas”.
“Ha, Ok cool. Let’s do it”
As you can see, after much deliberation, we did that thing that people do. We quit our jobs and started our own business.
THE ART SHOP IN THE BULLRING
After trading online via Etsy and Notonthehighstreet, we decided that actually, online was cool but we’d really like our own store. A proper retail offer!
During the beginning of 2016 the #Linkstreet project between Birmingham’s Bullring and Grand Central came into its own. A new multi-million pound redevelopment of the old mezzanine between the station and shopping centre became a hub for pop ups and new business to showcase what they were doing.
We were lucky enough to get involved and set up on the link for an initial 2-week trial. 2 years later we’re now a permanent fixture in the Bullring and are constantly developing the brand, grown the team and developing the store.
FIND US
VINCENT VAN DOODLE
Bullring Shopping Centre
Birmingham, UNIT L10,
Linkstreet,
B5 4BS
PARTNERS IN CRIME
Jules and Oli met in 2008, ish, and have been working together ever since. Both come from varied backgrounds, but share a passionate interest in art, design, working hard and doing it all differently.
The team at VVD is growing steadily, with a mix of framing experts, printing pros, sales dudes, people that can count and the occasional geeky fella that comes in to fix the website. We work closely with local businesses and are happy to chat about ideas for collaboration!
Jules Bedwood
Oli Silvester
