A win-win enterprise
Enchanted House Beds has plenty of reasons to celebrate this year - full order books, an increase in staff numbers and now officially able to use the coveted Dartmoor National Park Authority logo, thanks to its enthusiastic backing of Dartmoor wool.
Stuart Cann, 40, has been making beds since he was 16. He launched the company only three and a half years ago in Okehampton with just one member of staff. They’ve now expanded to take on a unit across the road, and the payroll has increased to 15 - all the employees are skilled local workers, made redundant by Relyon a year or so ago. Enchanted House makes handmade beds and mattresses; in a world where mass-produced, cheap goods can often be king, Enchanted House beds are made by individual craftsmen - although they are so experienced, two men can make a king-sized mattress and base in a day.
Stuart said: “We are doubling in size every year - the bed market nationally is really slow, but we have gone for the high-end products and there are always people who are prepared to pay for something that’s well made - and locally made. It’s like food - they like to know the provenance of what they are paying for and there’s definitely a demand for mattresses made from natural, sustainable products.”
And you can’t get much more local, than when the Dartmoor wool used in an Enchanted House bed comes from Stuart’s family farm on the edge of the moor – as Stuart explained: “We want to support Dartmoor farmers and we pay more for the wool than the Wool Board does. Several breeds are becoming endangered now, so we hope that by using this wool, the numbers will be kept up.” The wool is washed in Yorkshire using a natural water process and then fed by hand into a wool breaker which fluffs out the fibres, the odd bit of straw falling away from the natural wool during the process! Mattresses may also include silk, cashmere, alpaca and horsetail hair - the latter providing natural spring and moisture-wicking properties. The company’s beds are now found all over the world, and the business was especially thrilled to be asked to make the beds for top chef Michael Caine’s wonderful new hotel and restaurant, Lympstone Manor.
Enchanted House Beds is supporting Dartmoor National Park’s Donate for Dartmoor scheme to show how local businesses can support each other, as well as Dartmoor. Dartmoor National Park Authority is proud to endorse this approach and welcomes ideas from other businesses for ways to work together to keep Dartmoor the special place it is. For more information about Enchanted House Beds go to enchantedhousebeds.com or call 01837 318060.