Milestone Moments: January 2024
Our founder, Claire, talks us through what she's been up to in January
Last week was filled with so many emotions - I moved home! It’s both exciting and daunting at the same time.
Five years ago Me & Mr Grace moved into a near derelict house. It was pretty much the cheapest house we could find and I would have moved anywhere to get out of our tiny one bedroom flat. I’d had a lot of upheaval in my life as a result of starting a business.
When I decided to take the plunge and start Air & Grace I rented out my home to make ends meet and moved back in with my lovely mum. I thought it would be a temporary situation and I’d be back home within the year! Well… that didn’t happen and when Mr. Grace asked me to live with him I said yes. Shortly after he was made redundant from his job and we were on the move again, downsizing to that one bedroom flat. But you know what, we’re good at dealing with curveballs and we built a business in that flat from the sofa and a storage unit down the road.
We couldn’t have been happier in this house. So much has happened here…
We got to grips with our first ever renovation project. Hats off to Mr. Grace, for a former city analyst with no experience he’s taught himself just about every building trade going.
It’s where we spent lockdown. The announcement was made on the day the back of our house was ripped out. The build was shut down and we had 6 months of washing up in the bath, cooking on a camping stove and shooing off foxes from our food supplies. Not the ideal work from home situation.
If you were lucky enough to get a pair of our Gaby (@gabyroslin) X Air & Grace collaboration your shoes were packed and dispatched by us in this house. We weren’t sure if our warehouse was going to be closed due to Covid restrictions and we didn’t want to disappoint so we did what we had to do.
Our Repurpose Collection was created at my kitchen table. I hate waste so I wanted to use up excess sampling materials. I turned them into a collection of limited edition colour ups which we launched on Black Friday as an alternative to discounting.
It’s been the venue for a good few Insta lives, (iPad sometimes propped up on a breeze block), some photoshoots and of course a dodgy lockdown hair cut.
Most recently it was the venue for our post wedding party with friends and family. Such a fabulous day.
Looking back over the last 5 years I’ve realised how far we’ve come, both personally and professionally.
Air & Grace means the world to me,
but it’s thanks to you as much as it is to the hard work of myself and the team that it’s where it is today. They say when you buy from a small business someone does a happy dance, and we honestly do. We appreciate every order, every comment, every photo you share and all your feedback. Thank you!
It’s sad to leave, but I’m also excited about new beginnings. The new house is another project waiting to be made into our home. If DIY renovation on a budget is your thing we’re capturing our story on @mycorbetthouse - we’re no experts so your tips and advice are very welcome!
So here goes….onto the next chapter - creating a home full of new memories to cherish.
Claire xx
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