Biography

1995 marked an important event in the landscape of Manchester’s retailing domain. Two Greek-Cypriot brothers, Georgios and Stelios Demetriou opened up a store in the city centre of Manchester. What the pair lacked in finance, they more than made up for in gusto and passion, a passion that remains as strong twelve years on.

They chose the location of Church St (M4) as they considered it to be an interesting section of the city. The street was home to an outside fruit market that saw a mix of diverse cultures. The rent for the building was realistic as at that time the Northern Quarter of the city was seen as an un-desirable location.

The brothers initially rented the ground floor of the building; the building also housed a clothing design studio, a Kibbutz Office and an Erotic Store, the cosmopolitan element of the building appealed greatly to the brothers.

The business was set up after Georgios had finished his studying and travelling. Whilst travelling Georgios’ eye for products developed immensely which gave rise to his vision for a business idea. Matched with Stelios’ business background (Stelios had spent years working for the family businesses) the Home Design Store was born. There was nothing quite like the Home Design Store, and at the time the Northern Quarter was seen as an un-inspiring region of the city centre. It wasn’t long until the magic of the store was noted and other small businesses began to flourish.

The store initially began by selling Fair Trade ethnic goods such as African carvings, incense, essential oils, hand crafted furniture and the like, which appealed to a new age market & eco friendly consumer. However times were changing and it wasn’t only the brothers who had seen the potential of the city’s Northern Quarter. Queue an influx of development, including property and businesses, which in turn also brought about a modernised, more affluent clientele, the demand for individualised items declined in favour of flat packed, homogenised goods.

Not wanting to follow that sterile, conformist route, the store organically developed and began to stock a variety of items that appealed to a vast range of groups. One of the more popular lines has proven to be the specialised leisure and adventure items such as the poi, fire poi, juggling equipment, Shisha pipes and other legal highs which have proven to be a success with the hedonistic festival crowd. There is also a high demand for the unusual gadgets and memorabilia that the store sells.

The Home Design Store truly was one of the forerunners in the Northern Quarters Bohemian revolution. Once regarded as a downbeat no-go area, this section of the city is now a hub of activity, boasting alternative shops, bars and gallery’s and is regarded as the most dynamic, culturally rich, diverse part of the city.

After several years of the successful running of the Home Design Store, as well as branching out into a growing mail order business, the brothers expanded and opened a store in the Arndale centre, Manchester and within six months a third store was added to the empire. The shops caused quite a stir, shying away from the norm appealed immeasurably to the general public. Visiting the stores was un-like no other shopping experience. Not only were the shoppers faced with unique products, they were also met with the spectacle of toy helicopters flying around, or remote control cars speeding along the Arndale centre’s malls, the customers never knew what to expect. This excitement factor paired with the relaxed friendly attitude of the staff was a vital key in the stores success; the stores were like a breath of fresh air to their customers.

However this rebellious streak wasn’t cherished by everybody, the alleged rule breaking wasn’t taken lightly by the powers that be. After raids prompted by unfounded information, the Arndale stores were forced to close. The manager of the centre at the time was genuinely upset to see the stores go, and informed the brothers that the move had come ‘from above’

The brothers were left to pick up the pieces from what could have proved to be disastrous. However The Home Design Store, despite the set-backs was still one step ahead and was determined to rise from the set back, bigger, better and stronger.

During this time one of the Arndale centre managers (Mark) had gone to work in the original store. Mark was heavily influenced by the American Hip-Hop culture and street fashions. He was flicking through one of his many underground magazines one day and happened to come across a picture featuring a Low Rider Bike; he showed the picture to Georgios. Georgios who has always had an eye for beautiful niche products instantly saw the potential in the bikes. Within days a bike was delivered to Manchester fresh from the U.S. Georgios and Mark proceeded to customise the bike, importing parts and personalising the bike to their specification.

The bike was then incorporated within a window display. The interest the bike generated was phenomenal, and led to the creation of Ride Low. The philosophies from the Home Design store were passed onto Ride Low. The company were the first importers of the Low Rider bikes and the parts in the U.K, ensuring that Low Riders were accessible and affordable to the U.K market. They have since started to sell products under their brand name of Ride Low all over Europe, and are the largest stockist and provider of the low rider bikes, parts and accessories within the E.U.

Against all odds, the Home Design Store emerged stronger than before. The Mother store has expanded from a rented first floor, and the brothers now own the building. As well as housing the original Home Design store, the building also hosts a Hair Studio, a Music store/studio, an internet company residential space. The brothers have helped to cultivate small independent businesses who favour their flexible business terms.

Although the Home Design Store has seen many changes, it has remained true to its roots which has always been about the people and the people they serve. The brothers have kept their unorthodox yet highly efficient manner, they have never been afraid to take risks and to break down barriers, preferring to leave stale, traditional methods to others. The faithful patrons still hail from all walks of life and the store continues to fuse differing cultures together. An ethos that has filtered through into Ride Low.

Ride Low flies the flag that will continue to rock, offering cutting edge, highly sought after bikes, parts and accessories. Ride Low is a modern innovative business that puts the need of its customers first, leaving traditional monotonousness products for the traditionalist. The fresh techniques that Ride Low have adopted has revolutionised the bicycle industry. Ride Low is definitely helping to make the world a better place.