Rosie and I met in 2015. Very early on, we started working on creative projects together, ranging from screen printing t-shirts, building our own skateboards, an art exhibition, a magazine and inevitably making surfboards together.

In January of 2021 we opened the doors of Happy Chemicals factory, a communal space dedicated to building surfboards, learning the craft and sharing knowledge. The factory itself took 3 months to build, prior to that I was using a less than appropriate pool shed as a workshop (longboards would stick out of the door).I have to mention and thank the guys at Bura surfhouse (Emi and Jay) for allowing me to use the space and generally supporting our endeavours during those tough times. There were of course many years leading up to this moment, spent learning from other shapers such as Olivier from Cachalot Surfboards and Sam from Bob's boards as well as (quite essentially) attempting to hone my own skills through self motivated practice of making wooden fins and shaping my first surfboard in the kitchen of my student house in Swansea. The start of this activity actually stretched to years prior. Making a few boards with Olivier from Cachalot Surfboards in Biscarrosse, and getting an opportunity to do some ding repair work for Sam of Bob’s boards after having made a couple boards with him. Prior to all that, making wooden fins in the kitchen of our student house. After what felt like a lot of failure and a lack of long term openings, the idea for happy chemicals came as the inevitable solution. I wrote up a quick business plan that would later turn out to be based on assumptions that were completely wrong, but how many business plans aren't? It must have been fate that the first person I sent it to for an opinion would actually end up lending me some money to start the project.

Jan 2021 - Sept 2024

The Happy chemicals factory was located in an illegal warehouse set amongst the carcasses of abandoned cars, with a landlord that embodied the definition of "sketchy". Inside the 120m2 warehouse I built a two storey workshop with 4 shaping bays on the ground floor and a laminating room with 4 racks upstairs. Over the years the downstairs played to host to Adam of Mada surfboards, Tobi of Eternal circle, Alex of Bad rug, Andrea Bonelli surfboards and myself and whilst the upstairs was used by all, it was really Rosie's domain. In that time we also hosted plenty of international guest shapers; the Conklin brothers, Nick Melanson and Max Caldwell, Barrett Miller, Rachel Lord, Ziran surboards, Aqua fruits and Cachalot surfboards.

June 2023 - Present day

The shop was born out of the desire to diversify from undervalued manual labour and create a healthier workplace alternative for ourselves (to put it bluntly). But in reality we had considered the idea of opening a cafe in Lagos, before I even started making surfboards back in 2021. During the transitional season of 2023, after the renovation work in June and July, we would make surfboards during the week, then open the bar Friday and Saturday nights. Fuelled by extremely cheap cocktails and a lack of any other options the local community let loose that summer. Later that year we opened the cafe, with drinks and pastries.

January 2025 - Present day

I was storing the materials I had built the surfboard factory with in 2 small collapsable containers totalling 12m2. In January 2025 i decide to sacrifice the materials to the weather and use the space to make surfboards. Considering this was a downgrade from 120m2 to 12m2 for surfboard production i would have use ingenuity and compromise to make it work. I shape boards in 6m2 and laminate in the other 6m2. I decided not to do any of the sanding in my space to avoid clouds of noxious resin dust in such a small space. The space has been totally thought through for functionality and ease despite its limitations. It is more akin to a well organised cave really, but its only a stop on the way to a perfect workshop one day.