He's gone from making furniture in the garage of his Southampton home to employing 20 staff in two city workshops and counting celebrities among his customers. 

Still & Bloom was launched by Nick Fisher in 2021 as a side project to earn a little money to help his young family get by. 

He had always wanted to be a designer. But, after struggling during the pandemic, Nick had to jack-in his business providing furniture for the hospitality sector and start again from scratch.

Daily Echo: Nick Fisher, founder of Still & Bloom

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He launched a line of rustic, timeless furniture, grand consoles made from reclaimed boards and beautiful bespoke tables, but it was a bit of a slow start.

Nick said: “Every business was still suffering, but I had two children under three and a mortgage to pay. Sometimes just sheer necessity means you have to throw yourself into something and hope for the best.

“I joined up to Etsy and my wife started an Instagram account. We had four orders and three followers.”

Daily Echo: Former Love Island star Olivia Bowen boosted the fortunes of Still and Bloom, the family business of Nick Fisher, inset

Then one evening a few months into the venture, he was told the Love Island star Olivia Bowen had posted a picture about a new purchase on an interior design Instagram account she ran, and it looked like his furniture, although he was not tagged.

"I'd seen her name in our orders, but I hadn't twigged. My wife said, 'you have to message her!'" Nick recalls, admitting Love Island was "a guilty pleasure" so the pair knew who the star was.

Taking his wife's advice turned out to be a massive turning point. Olivia Bowen made a video of the product, including the name of Nick's firm.

Daily Echo: Nick Fisher of Still and Bloom saw his business boosted by a social media post from Love Island celebrity Olivia Bowden

"The phone didn't stop for two days. We went up to 2,500 followers in 24 hours and the product she bought became one of our best sellers. We couldn't make them quick enough," he says.

She had found Still & Bloom, which employs several members of Nick's family alongside a large workshop team, online by chance.

Daily Echo: A barn table from Still & Bloom

Subsequent purchases have been made by Olivia, plus two professional golfers and another reality TV star.

Nick now has more than 25,000 Instagram followers, including Mrs Hinch, and is a number one seller on Etsy.

"It’s been amazing and it’s transformed my life and my business," he added.

Daily Echo: The Still & Bloom workshop team