Hidden Planet

Hi, 

I’m Ben and I’m a natural history author & illustrator, amateur strongman and the owner of Hidden Planet. I am and have always been utterly obsessed with wildlife, plants & latterly picking up heavy objects.

Hidden Planet

Hidden Planet is more than just a shop, it’s also the studio where I write and illustrate my books and the base from which we run our online business.

It’s a really special place filled to the rafters with conservation-led wildlife books, prints & stationery, a jungle’s worth of beautiful plants (over 500 species!) and a selection of beautiful ceramics & accessories.

Beliefs & values

At Hidden Planet we believe in attention to detail, quality & sustainability in all things.

So that’s not just my work and how I present it but also how we operate as a shop, how our products are made, where we source our plants and making sure that the publishers & partners we work with share similar values.

We even make our own soil mixes.

So why are we crowdfunding?

For the 4th time in a little over 2 years we find ourselves needing to move from our current home, in Seven Dials, and relocate somewhere more affordable and residential. Or permanently close.

Sadly for us, the combination of the first Brexit and then Covid has really affected small businesses like ours, not least because it's meant that people are simply not in Central London in the numbers that they were before - there are fewer tourists, fewer office workers and the people that are here have less money to spend. But our costs have remained the same or increased.

Additionally, our supply chain is now longer and less certain than it used to be - what had been a self sustaining and successful small business simply isn't in its current location but it will be somewhere else.

We're taking the lessons we've learned through the pandemic and acting on them so that we can become the most sustainable version of the business in these uncertain times and taking steps to future proof ourselves against the challenges to come.

It's not all doom and gloom though!

We’ve already found a new home on the bustling Chatsworth Road in Hackney, but we need your support to secure it.

This new space will be a lifeline for the business – not only is it significantly cheaper than our current location but it is nearly 3x larger allowing us to close our current studio & warehouse and consolidate all three sites into one location, lowering our operating costs even further. Located in a busy residential area, we will also benefit from an increased customer base and a much higher footfall.

In order to secure the new location and move, we require funds that we currently do not have. We’ll also need to close both of our Central London stores to avoid paying two rents and to allow us to focus on getting the new site ready which will mean 6-8 weeks of no income.

Our plan is to use the funds raised to secure the deposit, contribute for the year's rent upfront and complete the building work at the new site as fast as possible so that we can get back to trading. To install new doors, windows, lighting, flooring and signage and to dress the space. We’ll also put in place a new stock management system and overhaul the website.

For each pledge, supporters will receive items from the Hidden Planet collection, such as books, prints & stationery at a reduced price - that also includes shipping and a donation to a conservation charity. So, if you want to purchase something from our shop, now is the time!

When completed, Hidden Planet Chatsworth Road will be a light and airy botanical paradise - a place for nature-lovers, gift seekers and curious minds!

If successful, we have exciting plans  to expand in other areas including in store coffee sourced from local roasters, hosting educational talks and workshops for local schools, providing employment for local people and supporting conservation projects both locally and further afield.

Hackney is my home so the opportunity to create something beautiful here from the ground up is something I’m really excited about.

Should we reach our stretch goals, we’ll also develop a range of stationery products each inspired by one of the species in my books and with a portion of the profits from each going to a charity whose work supports that specific animal, bird or plant.

And should we reach our further stretch goals we’ll set up a not for profit in my family's native South Africa and a range of products inspired by where I grew up.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who’s supported us on our journey so far and continues to do so and I look forward to showing you all our new home over the coming months.

All the best

Ben

Rewards:

Books - Hidden Planet, Sensational Butterflies, Waterworld, Deadly & Dangerous

A4 Prints - Clouded Leopard, Red Deer, Bengal Tiger, Plains Zebra,
Blue Footed Booby, Atlantic Puffin, Guineafowl Pufferfish, Common Octopus,
Yellow Seahorse, Night light Jellyfish.

Large format prints - (For prints A2 & above, choose any print from the collection at my online shop: https://bit.ly/3golP8V