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The Lancs student who built a furniture upcycling business from his uni library

Cole Glover started Upcite from his university library last year <i>(Image: Cole Glover)</i>
Cole Glover started Upcite from his university library last year (Image: Cole Glover)

A Lancashire student who built a business from his university library says he wants to make a difference in the world of sustainability.

Cole Glover, who is originally from Newcastle but studied at Lancaster University, started Upcite during his last year at university.

Upcite is a place for people to buy upcycled furniture, meaning it has gone from an unused or damaged piece to being repaired, restored and given a new purpose.

People can also sell their unwanted furniture to the company, who will then upcycle it before selling it on.

Lancashire Telegraph: Cole Glover studied at Lancaster University
Lancashire Telegraph: Cole Glover studied at Lancaster University

Cole Glover studied at Lancaster University (Image: Cole Glover)

Cole, 20, started the business out of the library at his university and it has grown into a successful online venture since then.

He said: “I used to sell furniture at college, always buying different bits and bringing it back to my parents’ house and then I realised through working at hotels and stuff there were hundreds of chairs getting thrown away and it inspired me to start Upcite in the university library last year.

“I built a website completely from scratch and grew a community of creative people, and it took off from there.”

Lancashire Telegraph: Some of the furniture Cole has worked on
Lancashire Telegraph: Some of the furniture Cole has worked on

Some of the furniture Cole has worked on (Image: Cole Glover)

Cole added that he has always been inspired by what artists are able to do with furniture and became passionate about wanting to make a difference in the sustainability movement.

He added: “Building on from the sustainability aspect, each piece has its own hand-crafted story. I’ve been inspiring creativity through the use of more meaningful furniture than new furniture. I think it’s a creative way to be different.”

As well as being able to buy the products online, people can sell or thrift unwanted furniture, saving it from going to landfill sites.