Accountancy firm rejuvenates historic Honiton building

Griffin Chartered Accountants has taken occupancy of the historic Globe building in Honiton, giving it a £30,000 makeover along the way.

Griffin founders, Misty Nickells and Graham Higgins took the plunge after working from a home office for the past 18 months.

Graham said: “We were intrigued by the history behind the Globe façade; it has had a chequered past, with stints as a public house, a Jehova’s Witnesses hall, a tattoo parlour and antiques shop.

“We first looked at the property in January, and finally moved in last month.”

They have worked hard to make the interior of the office bright and modern, offering an ideal space for clients to visit to discuss ongoing accountancy requirements.

Honiton High Street was deemed an attractive location by the pair for a number of reasons. Graham explained: “It’s convenient for us as we live nearby and it’s also convenient for our clients – there’s plenty of parking and no traffic congestion to grapple with.

“Honiton has a true community feel to it, there are lots of different businesses with individual personalities and we’re really enjoying finding out more about them. We’ve got to know many of our clients well, above and beyond any work we undertake for them.”

The young firm, which provides a range of services from management accounts and bookkeeping to personal and business tax, has seen rapid growth in the past year and a half. They are currently working with local family businesses, charities and SMEs plus clients in Exeter and London.

The pair founded Griffin in 2015 after gaining extensive experience working for a large Exeter accountancy firm.

Misty said: “We believe our success is down to the fact that we have the specialist knowledge only usually available from a larger firm - but because we run a smaller outfit, we can offer added benefits like greater flexibility, personal partner involvement and exceptional value.

“Where a big accountancy operation might be constrained by rigid systems, procedures and systems, finding it hard to adapt to the needs of clients, we have autonomy to decide what service is right for each individual client. And as our clients grow, we grow with them,” she added.

Griffin has embraced the latest advances in technology, and the company is a certified partner with Cloud accounting system Xero, which offers clients the ability to pick and choose the accountancy services they need.

Graham explained: “Xero has been a real bonus to us, as a number of companies have sought us out specifically for the bespoke service it offers.”

Business has been going so well that, earlier this year, Griffin took on trainee accountant Hannah Webber - and the team will soon be swelled with the addition of a second trainee.

“As far as our new office goes, we have a 999-year lease on the Globe, giving us plenty of time to develop the business!” Graham said.

Local reaction to the renovation of the building has been extremely positive. The well-known building, located on the corner of the High Street and Dowell Street now gives a better impression of the town to visitors.