Born out of the craftsmanship of a restorer of some of the world's most sought-after antiques, Cirencester-based Restorate has grown from selling a selection of products to local restorers, to being one of the leading UK suppliers for the industry over the last 20 years.
Today, the family firm is being led into a new era by forward-thinking managing director Sam Mitchell, who succeeded his father Westie as head of the company in 2019 – at just 24 years old.
When just months later, Covid struck and demand soared, Sam took the decision to rebuild the business from the ground up – a move which resulted in a period of impressive growth. SoGlos chats to Sam about the company's evolution and continuing mission to 'revive' the industry, through access to both specialist products and expert knowledge.
Tell us about Restorate and the services it provides in 2025.
Based in Perrott’s
Brook near Cirencester, we specialise in the highest quality wood finishes
and woodworking consumables. We’re dedicated to reviving the restoration
industry and to being the go-to supplier for all craftspeople who want great
results.
We simplify the
purchasing experience for the general public and professionals, providing
straightforward advice and curated product ranges with a low friction online
and in-store experience.
Our goal is to inspire
our customers to look after the pieces in their homes and to fix, rather than
replace. We believe that true sustainability is preserving and creating
well-made items that will last for generations to come. We’re passionate about
antiques and period property restoration; we want to share that passion and
specialist knowledge with our customers.
How did it begin – and how has it grown over the years?
Our story began with
my Dad, Westie, who trained as an antique restorer and cabinet maker, with a
cabinet making and restoration lineage that's traceable back to the 1700s. He was
responsible for restoring some of the most sought after pieces in the world,
sold at the likes of Christie's and Sotheby's. In 1986, Westie started Forum
Antiques in Cirencester, he then focused on restoration after moving to a
workshop in our current location in 1995.
In 2005, he launched
Rest Express alongside his restoration work, driven by the difficulty of
sourcing necessary consumables, both affordably and from one place. He
travelled around Gloucestershire with a selection of products in his van,
selling to all his restoration competitors on a two week credit. The business
grew when products were advertised on eBay and then on their first website.
Between 2010 and 2020, the business broadened into generic DIY brands like
Cuprinol and Ronseal, while continuing to sell specialist products.
The whole family
understood the importance of making Rest Express work, so we all chipped in. My
parents were working it out on the hoof, particularly with the website as e-commerce was still very much in its infancy and alien to them.
How did you come to lead the business?
Having worked
throughout all parts of the business while growing up, from 2016 I worked as an
on-the-road salesperson for 18 months. During this time I visited hundreds of
businesses of all sizes and specialities. This provided me with context of
their processes, while understanding issues and finding solutions.
In 2019, the opportunity arose for me to take on the business. At the time I was working for a more established retail brand in New Zealand. I had full understanding of the challenge in front of me and what needed to be done. At the age of 24, I had a seemingly insurmountable task ahead.
Just as I took control, Covid struck and
demand for exterior DIY products skyrocketed. I took the decision to
temporarily close the business – as it wasn’t built to meet the demand – and
start it again from scratch. This was while figuring out the complex leadership
challenges at hand; single-handedly rebuilding the website, warehouse
management systems and logistics, as well as accounting programs. Thankfully,
within five weeks, we had the new website up and running; and we were starting
to rebuild and structure a more sustainable business model.
In late 2021, I
rebranded the company from Rest Express to Restorate. The goal was to drive the
revival of the antiques trade, passing traditional skills onto future
generations before they’re lost, whilst retaining important, traditional
products that so many craftspeople rely upon. The name 'Restorate' is a verb by
design, we want to inspire 'doing' and we have a lot to do!
Now, and particularly
over the past 12 months, we’ve established the stability and traction required
to build a strong team and to make a difference. We're incredibly excited to
continue serving as a destination and source of knowledge for everyone in the
Cotswolds area and across the country.
Tell us more about your passion for antique restoration.
Antique restoration is
a passion within my family. Old furniture and quirky antiques were everywhere
in our home, developing my love and sentiment for preservation. Westie was very
good at encouraging us to get involved. At the age of five, I was using chisels,
making wooden swords, carvings, bird boxes and sculptures while using many of
the products we still provide today.
Antiques are testament
to how creative and talented people can be. Without the assistance of modern
technology, craftspeople made truly special items of exceptional quality and
hundreds of years later, these pieces are still here. We have to safeguard our
heritage and reconnect with these generations-old skills that made the UK and
Europe so spectacular in its design, centuries ago. We all have a part to play
in transferring these skills, particularly during an era of impending skills
redundancies, largely due to AI. Much of this knowledge, however, can only be
shared through doing, as it is difficult to explain.
Finally why should craftspeople in the industry – or anyone taking on their own restoration project – come to Restorate?
Our unique position
comes from a combination of youthful energy, modern visibility, traditional
product knowledge and great relationships with master craftspeople.
We carefully curate our stock, taking references from specialists and testing products ourselves to ensure their trustworthiness. Any project takes a huge amount of time, resources and money to complete so we will only offer products that will provide the best outcomes. The free knowledge hub on our website also helps customers to understand which products to use for particular projects, our way of sharing knowledge to those learning new skills or even starting their restoration journey.
We value the
sustainability of making and caring for buildings, furniture and trinkets that
are designed to last hundreds of years, as well as the sentimental side of
gifting a piece to someone, which will continue to be treasured for generations
to come. To do this, we’re constantly evolving to ensure that we’re providing a
service that is both easy and helpful to use.
