This week marks 4 years since I opened the Alice in Scandiland high street store and in typical self employed, got a bit too much on my plate right now fashion I almost forgot the date.
It’s been a remarkable journey so far, huge highs contrasted with some very grounding lows. Who could have predicted, when that naïve version of myself thought “yeah, I could give a high street shop a go”, sat in my shed, back in the good old days of 2018, that after only a year or so of business a global pandemic would come along and throw us all into the unknown. Oh and a wonderful topping of Brexit awfulness for good measure, what a ride!
Before.
From a garden shed, Instagram based virtual shop, to the high street I grew up on, 4 years has seen a lot of change and I’m incredibly proud of what I have achieved.
The garden shed, before it became a photography studio/ storage for selling vintage finds on Instagram.
Humble beginnings, some of my very first Alice in Scandiland Shop Instagram posts.
The very early days look quite different to now, there were more plants and colour for sure!
My whole ethos for the business, born from the very pages of this journal, was to share the things I love, the items I own and use daily, allowing my customers to add a little slice of that inspiration directly into their own homes. I only sell products I would genuinely use and own myself and have managed to stay true to this, even as the overall style of Scandiland has matured and developed over time.
I like to think this means I’ve built a relationship of trust with those who shop with me time and again, a level of shopping experience you won’t necessarily get from the big chain stores.
The self employed, content creating, stock sourcing, social media-ing, paperwork-ing, mum to 2 young children juggle is insanely overwhelming at (all) times. Somehow, with the help of family, my small number of staff and the encouragement of you lovely lot, I’m able to keep pushing through.
Celebrating 4 years definitely feels like an even bigger achievement, considering the high street shop was closed for so long during lockdowns and the hugely negative affect of Brexit on my business.
I love that I get to share wonderful brands from all over the world with you, with a special focus on Scandinavia. Fine Little Day, a hugely important part of my brand’s identity is Swedish. That partnership has become a lot more challenging, time consuming (and expensive) since Jan 2020 and there isn’t a day that goes by (usually triggered by dealings with UPS “Utterly Properly Shit”) where it doesn’t upset me. But still it is worth it, for the playful, uplifting, wonderful homewares which help to make both my home and the shop that much better.
Small scale, independent makers are at the core of the Alice in Scandiland Shop and each delivery that arrives still feels like a huge privilege and treat to open.
It’s very heartening when you take a moment to think about the ripple effect of starting a small business, how it not only benefits you but then in turn so many around you.
The creative people you support and encourage when stocking their work, customers who come specifically to visit the shop, but then pop into other businesses around you also. The way the money quickly enters back into the very local economy because, even after 4 years, I still can’t organise myself enough to remember to take a packed lunch with me to work!
So, what’s next for me?
I won’t lie, 2022 has thus far been the toughest. This may come as a surprise to some, surely peak Covid era was rock bottom? But no, ask almost any small retail business and the story will be the same, it’s a rather bleak landscape, but I’m determined to do everything I can to weather the storm which is closing in.
I outsourced the picking + packing side of the online business after the first lock down, as I was struggling to keep up on my own (packing orders between 10pm + 3am, trying to keep up with 2 children + their school work in the day wasn’t the most fun time in my life).
But now that the online sales boom of that time has passed, it’s important I make some changes to protect my brand going forwards. By bringing everything back to inhouse I’ll be regaining all the control and will be able to get back to having more of the one-off vintage pieces available on the website. This will be exciting as that mix of contemporary and old is something I’m passionate about and love to see beautiful, vintage pieces go off to loving homes all over the world.
Here’s to keeping the dream going for many more years to come, thank you for your support along the way.
Please continue, wherever possible, to do what you can to show the love for all the small businesses in your life. They all need your support very much x
