Can you remember the first globe you saw?
It’s the first question asked by globe-maker Peter Bellerby during a talk at the Explorers Club in New York, and the question certainly stirs emotions, with many in the audience reminiscing.
The 58-year-old is now one of the world’s last remaining traditional globe makers and his London company Bellerby & Co was born out of his frustration at not being able to find a present for his father’s 80th birthday in 2008.
He tried to get a globe as a gift, but there was nothing decent for sale and the antique globes he found were auctioned off at high prices. Bellerby soon spotted a gap in the market and began to learn all he could about the archaic craft of globe making.
In just over ten years, he grew from a one-man band to a team of 26 people. His beautiful, hand-painted candles sell for more than $78,000 in their largest size, with the waiting list currently up to 14 months.
Peter Bellerby founded his global company in London in 2008 and currently employs 26 people
In just over ten years, Bellerby has grown from a one-man band to a team of 26 people. His beautiful, hand-painted candles sell for more than $78,000 in their largest size, with the waiting list currently up to 14 months.
The entrepreneur said the first globe he made sold for just over $1,000, but it cost more than $3,000 to make, so he had to do some work to restore balance sheets.
Marketing was something else that Bellerby had to master, but luckily his partner Jade helped him with this task and left the work to her. The couple discovered that Instagram allowed them to connect with customers around the world, and the orders started pouring in
Bellerby – who admits he has had a rather bizarre career path, from nightclub owner to property developer to globetrotter, including a role on television – says his industry is a niche and when he started there were no how-to books.
It took him a few years to get the hang of the basics, with high costs and little income at first.
He explains: “I had to learn all these different things… cartography… how to make a sphere… find the right balance points to make a globe spin… [and] The most important thing was how to shape a piece of flat paper into a ball.
“It was always trial and error.” I didn’t know if I had the right paper or glue. I started with wallpapering, which wasn’t great, but after two years I was happy where I was and started marketing the globes. My father finally got his globe. It was the fourth one I did.’
It slowly dawned on Bellerby that he needed to become more business-like to make globe-making a viable option.
The first globe he made sold for just over $1,000, but it cost more than $3,000 to make, so he had to work hard to balance the books.
Marketing was something else that Bellerby had to master, but luckily his partner Jade helped him with this task and left the work to her.
Bellerby recalls that before Jade’s arrival in 2011, they sold about one globe a month and business “didn’t really take off.”
However, Jade realized the power of social media and after creating an Instagram account, orders started coming in.
Talking about his company’s rise, Bellerby says: “Jade knows his stuff and started uploading lots of beautiful pictures of our globes and workshop on Instagram.”
“My family and friends followed me in their thousands and today we have over 150,000 followers.
“To be honest, I didn’t know it was a good way to promote the company. I thought Instagram was just for little kids, but it’s something amazing and attracts people of all ages from all over the world.
“We were soon inundated with requests for photoshoots and videos and at one point I was doing two photoshoots a week!”
As more money came in, Bellerby took over rented space and set up a full-time workshop in East London.
The bulbs, which require up to 18 craftsmen to produce, come in a range of sizes, with the smallest “pocket” version measuring 12cm in diameter and the largest “floor stand” globe measuring 127cm in diameter.
Today, Bellerby produces around 500 globes a year, with the US as its biggest market
“I didn’t realize how political worldbuilding could be either,” Bellerby muses as he shows how map markers can differ. He explains: “Taiwan is not recognized by China. So if we sell to China, we have to label it as Chinese Taipei.”
Bellerby says he will never move into the mass market and that the company will “always remain customized and very special”.
Bellerby originally started the company in his living room, which he says was not ideal because it “looked like the Sahara”, with particles everywhere.
As more money came in, he rented space and set up a full-time workshop in East London.
Today, Bellerby produces around 500 globes a year, with the US as its biggest market.
The bulbs, which require up to 18 skilled workers to produce, come in a variety of sizes, with the smallest “bag version” measuring 12cm in diameter and the largest “floor ball” measuring 127cm in diameter.
During his time in the world of globes, Bellerby collected a lot of wild stories.
Rummaging through the archives, he discovers some treasures, including a client who lives in a Spanish castle and had to tear down and rebuild a wall in his mansion to fit a Bellerby & Co globe.
Another customer in Miami had to lift his 48-inch globe to his 20th-floor apartment because the globe was too big to fit in the elevator.
The shipping of his globes was also problematic. When he first started out, he used lead weights in his globes, and one was opened by U.S. Customs because officials feared the globe was hiding contraband.
Bellerby said he only realized what had happened when he received a call from his client explaining that she had received the globe, but some countries were in the wrong place because customs had taped the globe incorrectly.
“I didn’t realize how political worldbuilding could be either,” muses Bellerby.
He further explains how the map markings can differ: “Taiwan is not recognized by China. So if we sell to China, we have to label it as Chinese Taipei.”
“Similarly, for Indian clients, we need to redesign the border between India and Pakistan so that there is no disputed border with Kashmir.”
Asked about the future of his company, Bellerby says he will never enter the mass market.
He concludes: “We have a great team and check quality more often than ever before.”
“It always remains customized and something very special.” I don’t want to turn it into a factory where a hundred people produce things.
“It all started because I had incredible confidence in my abilities. But I wouldn’t change a thing for the world.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
