Friday, 22 July 2011

Friday From the (Shop) Front

I often joke that I have three babies.

Miss Z

Miss A

And ecoHaven.


And in many ways, it’s true.  I love them, invest time and energy in them, they give me great pleasure, frustrate me, give me headaches and all at times keep me awake at night.

I didn’t realise when I took the business on just how much there was to running a store.  You just buy some cool stuff and then sell it to other people who also think it’s cool, right?  Well yes.  But there is also supplier relationships, bookwork, marketing, cashflow forecasts, landlord relationships, product planning, store layout, staffing, the list goes on…It has given me so much respect for all the other small business owners out there, particularly those who have been at it for a while and making it happen. 

But like I said, I also love it.  I love the knowledge that I’ve gained, helping me lead a more sustainable life.  I love our customers, many of whom are so passionate about our products.  I also love how many of them like to stay for a bit of a chat – it feels like we get the chance to establish proper personal relationships.  Having never worked in retail before, it has surprised me how much some customers give personal insights into things – is this normal for most stores?  Do you often strike up in-depth conversations in the places where you shop?

And I love so many of our products – it is really exciting for me to see how ‘organic’ and ‘sustainable’ have moved from being seen as the domain of hippies to being accepted by the mainstream. 

Here are the three main products I’ve personally been enjoying this week:

Mokosh – so rich, so luxurious, so organic, fair trade and Australian


3Fish – absolutely loving my new ‘Audrey’ dress.  Also organic, fair trade and Australian owned


Tightology – funky, spunky legwear.  The little owl on my pair of ‘Nocturnals’ has been keeping me company this week.  Organic cotton and Australian.


Have a great week!

*Product images are supplier's own

3 comments:

Ange Moore said...

I was eyeing of your tights on the weekend - very cool, like a tattoo that you can take off when you need a break!!

Kirstan said...

I love the way you phrase that Ange! Closest thing I am ever going to get to a tattoo me thinks...

Sarah said...

I'm sure it's been a very steep learning curve, that's an amazing array of things to be responsible for with no prior experience. We wish Eco Haven lots of success. I love the Audrey dress - couldn';t wear it myself but I would if I could!