Richard Davies - Creating an alternative side to Dundee

Creative Chit Chat - Dundee

Richard runs Abandon Ship Apparel, Hard Grind barbers and Daily Grind coffee bar. He’s pretty much taking over exchange street in Dundee with an alternative way to experience Dundee. He’s created a massive following and audience from his design work and the culture he has curated around his businesses. We talk about how Abandon Ship went from an idea in a bedroom to 1.2million in turnover to liquidation. The brand ended up growing too fast and Richard admits that he made mistakes and decisions that he regrets. The liquidation had a big impact on his life and his mental health. A battle that continues today in the second iteration of Abandon Ship. Richard struggles, as many of us do, in finding a healthy work/life balance. Switching off is difficult when you run your own business. He has built up the apparel side again and combined forces with Hard Grind barbers and Daily Grind coffee bar. Creating a much more social space that people genuinely want to spend their time in. He is continuing to grow by recently opening the OH Hello Vintage shop and the Abandon Ship bar that is due to open before the end of the year. Richard jokes about opening a hotel as well so he can facilitate all aspects of someone’s trip to Dundee. As he says in the podcast, he is creating this alternative Dundee for people to experience and it’s these other areas and cultures that visitors will want to engage with. I’d like to see more alternative takes on what Dundee is and what you can experience here so we showcase that it’s not just about the waterfront. Richard’s Twitter- https://twitter.com/abandonshipapp Richard’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/abandonshipapparel/ Abandon Ship Website - https://www.abandonshipapparel.com/ Hard Grind/Daily grind - https://hardgrind.co.uk/pages/the-daily-grind Oh Hello Vintage - https://ohhellovintage.com/