Introduce yourself and your store.
Hi, my name is Janice and I have a Homeware and Lifestyle store in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland called HAYM.
Is there a story behind the name?
The name is a play on the Scottish word for home, but it is spelt differently HAYM not HAME as my maiden name was HAY and I wanted to sneak that in.
How long have you been doing this?
The shop opened just as all other shops were allowed to reopen after lockdown on the 1st May 2021 so it has been almost 2 years.
Best moment of store life so far?
Having my children in the shop ‘helping’, they are 9 and 3 so not sure if I can class it as help quite yet 😊 I changed career to be closer to home and my family and having a shop in our home town allows this to happen.
How did you come across Text From A Friend?
I initially came across Text From A Friend whilst browsing on Faire and instantly fell in love with the cards. The level of sentiment and humour is just up my street. I love the classy gold handwritten font on quality white card, they look very stylish and a bit posh which makes some of the greetings even funnier as they are not expected.
What's your favourite Text From A Friend product?
Hmmm it’s a hard one but think it has to be the ‘I can’t wait to cry at your wedding’ card, coming from an emotional family that cry at the drop of a hat this suits us well.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I started off as a child wanting to be a teacher then when I realised I had a talent for both art and maths I moved onto an architect, which I then became.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I studied to be an architect at university and whilst I loved parts of it, it was a hard slog and I actually dropped out and resat my 4th year. I don’t think all options were presented to me as a teenager, it was very much a given that you left school and went to university. My advice would be to look at all the options, the most obvious is not always the right or best one.
When you get time off, what do you do?
I love to spend time with my family and my friends when I have time off. I have also recently taken up running, I am working through the couch to 5K, I keep stopping, restarting and going back a few weeks so have yet to finish it but I am really enjoying getting out and about and I have not given up!
Favourite city/destination to visit?
Has to be Berlin, first visited it on a university study trip and have not stopped talking about it since, think I have bored my husband so much I have put him off going with me 😊
What inspires you to buy a maker's product?
I try to keep my makers as local as possible but my architecture background means good design is also very important to me. Small, independent, ethical makers are always top of my list.
What do you love most about having the store?
I love so much about the shop - being able to drop my youngest daughter at nursery then walk here, being my own boss, having the flexibility to suit family life, sourcing beautifully designed pieces, creating aesthetically pleasing displays and making the books balance (that’s the maths side of the brain kicking in) but most of all I love meeting and talking to people, both customers and suppliers. Everyday is different and so many different people come into the shop with such fascinating stories to tell. I have some lovely loyal customers too who have become real good friends.
Future plans?
I am currently looking to develop my website to ecommerce and to extend our opening days to include Sundays and Monday but that is not imminent.
Dream product to have in store?
I would love in future to design my own range of products. I have been in the business for a few years now and am getting a real feel for what sells well. I sometime look for very specific products to realise they just don’t exist, that’s when I think if I designed it myself I would get exactly what I want.
Top tips for visitors to your city?
Carnoustie is a very famous golf town so the most obvious place to go is for a walk around the course, finishing up at the Rookery, overlooking the course, for a lovely meal and drinks
A walk along the beach is also a must but most importantly a walk along our High Street to visit all of the other indie shops, we have lots to offer with nice bakers, boutiques, gift shops and coffee shops.
Find Haym:
Website: HAYM
Instagram: @haym__carnoustie
Facebook: HAYMCarnoustie
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