A little bit about me . . .
I’ve always enjoyed a love of colours and forms; pretty much for the whole of my life my bedroom floor has been covered with interior design and fashion sketches.
My career has always been in retail starting in retail management, for a womenswear and accessory brand, and moving on to home interiors and gifts after I had my first two children.
For ten years I worked in this field in a gorgeous shop called Lavendergreen, in my hometown of St Albans, where I learnt all about the industry and trained as a Chalk Paint teacher.
How Cositas was born …
With the closure of Lavendergreen a new door opened for me. Initially it was just as a thought until I managed to secure financial backing after a tough couple of months writing, amending, rewriting, submitting and resubmitting business plan after business plan. I was working under pressure with the knowledge that I only had three months before Lavendergreen closed its doors for the last time. I needed to be more organised , determined and brave than I ever imagined I would have to be.
The initial challenge of securing the business start-up loan almost had me falling at the first hurdle with business plans so in depth and requiring me to proceed so far with a premises, that I needed the help of a solicitor and accountant before I had even secured the loan. It felt like such a gamble to start paying out such expenses that (as a mum with three children a dog and two guinea pigs depending on me) I really didn’t have. I didn’t even know if my loan would be approved, but in order to try I had no choice but to move forwards. Luckily, I’ve been wholly invested in this project from the get-go.
That brings me to where I am now, with a scattering of meetings, brainstorming and exploring preceding. I fell in love with the shop as soon as I saw it, and when I walked around for the first time I knew it was the “one”. I’ve been lucky enough to be working alongside some incredibly talented folk, in the form of accountants, web designers, printers, independent suppliers and friends and family who have offered me their invaluable time, help and advice and I’ll be forever thankful.
So now I’m at very last stage before the real hard work in the shop starts!