Meet the business founder who turns illustrations of Northampton buildings into innovative collectable merch

This founder turned her illustrations of Northampton buildings into innovative collectable merchandise, which will soon see her celebrate five years of this hobby becoming a business.

Fridge Street, which sells fridge magnets, textiles and mugs featuring recognisable buildings from across the town, is available to shop online and from a number of local stores.

The illustrations capture the places and businesses that mean something to the people of Northampton, which are immortalised in the form of collectable items.

Though there is no logic to which buildings are drawn, priority is typically given to independent businesses, beautiful buildings and places recommended by customers.

Fridge Street is the brainchild of Kardi Somerfield, a University of Northampton lecturer with a love of drawing, and was first set up in September 2018.

Kardi tends to draw most in the summer months during her break from teaching, which she described as the “best time” for her hobbies.

In the summer of 2018, she travelled with her dad and drew the buildings in the cities she visited – which continued when she returned home to Northampton. Fridge Street is now something she does alongside her full-time lecturing career.

When asked what the response has been like since Fridge Street was first established, Kardi said: “It’s been really lovely. People love to see their places and my style is colourful.

“Because of the way I do it – I take requests or decide what to draw – it’s a nice surprise for businesses. I’ve built a big following on social media and it’s publicity for them as well. New designs bring the attention of new people.”

The initial concept was that people could build their own street of buildings that mean something to them, such as their birth place, school, workplace, or where they got married.

Customers also gift them to others and someone even used Kardi’s illustrations for their wedding, as they named their tables after their favourite Northampton pubs.

Fridge Street’s main stockist is Vintage Guru in St Giles’ Street, which Kardi has stuck by as the two businesses opened at a similar time.

“The great thing about places like Vintage Guru when starting a business is that you can do it with a small investment,” she said. “I had a shelf that was £10 a month to see if there was demand. It does an important job as an incubator for small businesses like mine.”

Fridge Street products are also stocked in the shops at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, and Delapre Abbey.

Kardi’s proudest achievement was when she was commissioned to do a large piece of artwork for her workplace, the University of Northampton’s Waterside Campus.

She said: “It was nerve-racking but exciting. It was the first time my work came to my workplace, and it was well-received.”

The mural of the town, set with 150 buildings and 150 people, goes on a journey from spring time to the new year.

Kardi’s biggest challenge was starting her online shop during the pandemic, as well as navigating how to run a business that sells all over the country and abroad. She described it as having been a “really nice challenge to have”.

Though customers have encouraged her to begin illustrating other towns, Kardi plans to stick to Northampton as this is where she lives and loves to draw.

Each of her drawings is stored digitally and she has the power to put them on different items. The library of drawings currently stands at 356 and continues to grow.

Though Kardi would be interested in putting the illustrations on other items and in larger artwork form over time, she is currently content with her Saturday drawing mornings and sticking to what she already does.

For more information on Fridge Street and to check out Kardi’s work, visit the business’ website here.