Aspire Jewellery's Conception - The real story behind our story...
The real story behind our story...
I thought it was best to express my personal story behind Aspire Jewellery and how it came to be and the real reason as to why the business was formed.
London
Me in London 2014
In early 2014 I had eloped from Devon, where I had grown up and spent all of my life, to London where I was working night shifts well away from the jewellery world; and although I wasn't happy in the line of work I was doing I was enjoying my time in London.
Then came the call of duty
One day I was on my way to work in the early afternoon when I received a phone call from my Father expressing to me an idea of me running a shop in Bristol. He had told me he was looking for places for my younger sister to live, as she was due to start university in September in Bristol and he just so happened to stumble across a small shop unit that had become available.
I had expressed my concerns that it may not work, that I was happy in London, when my Father said "Nat, I need you to look after your sister..." I replied with a simple "Ok" and agreed.
My Father had clearly made a plan to pull me out of London to look after my sister who was incredibly ill at the time, a responsibility I'm sure I wasn't ready for. Nonetheless I agreed and left London to return to Devon to plan a new jewellery business in Bristol, a city I was unfamiliar with, had no ties to, and no one there to help me.
The name of the business
"What is the name of the business?" asked the business account manager from the bank whilst we were all sat together back in my parents shop completing the paperwork together.
Up until a few days prior to that meeting I hadn't given the name any thought or weight, until I was asked to do so by my parents - I thought of my sister and the reason why I was there in the first place and how I was going on ahead to Bristol before her awaiting for her arrival.
I thought of how I wished for her to get better, do better, be better - to be well, survive, not only that but then thrive, to build upon that, go further, achieve something. I wanted her to aspire to be more than she was and grow from what happened to her.
Aspire to be better, there it was, Aspire Jewellery. I was going to be in Bristol for her, to show her how to live a better life, show her another way. I am no saint, I was still only a kid myself aged 22 but having spent some time outside of the childhood home I knew how good it was for me and I knew and hoped that same change would be good for her betterment and health.
Bristol
My Father inside decorating
My parents and I drove to Bristol to view the shop unit and assess the work required. It was, and still is, such a small unit on the Mall in Clifton Village Bristol that all three of us in there with two dogs took up the whole space - this was my first time viewing it and assessing the situation for myself.
Although it was small, I think for jewellery in particular, you don't need a massive shop as jewellery is small anyway - the key is to have decent well lit cabinets and an excellent window display that's intriguing and captivating.
There was seemingly potential here we felt.
My father and I began daily drives from Devon to the unit to re-decorate which would be four hours of driving total plus an eight to ten hour day of painting and refitting the unit. It was extremely tiring but I believe the work was completed in approximately four weeks.
I noticed very early on, even while we were refitting, many shop units close by that were closing down along with gossip of who was moving on, closing down, "had had enough" - I expressed my concerns to my Father about this and may have seen the reality of the street before he did that it was indeed a very quiet area with not many shoppers around; a sign of how we hadn't done our research on the area beforehand. He wasn't deterred and we continued as planned to get the shop ready as soon as possible.
From memory I believe we opened the front door to customers in the first week of July 2014.
I was very proud of the shop, it's presence, the jewellery in particular was (and still is) so unique and different. We had to stand out from our many competitors on the street whom were better placed with more traditional jewellery, so I wanted to bring more contemporary, unusual designs to peoples attention with a high level of quality.
I was in need of a place to stay, the loveliest of people who worked next door offered her spare room to me - I happily moved in until I found a place of my own; I am forever grateful to her kindness and we have remained close friends.
I have some news
One day my Father turned up, panic-stricken and stressed, and once we had gone through the motions of the formalities of normal conversation he told me that he has some news.
I cannot remember his exact words but he told me that my sister was pregnant.
I had to quickly come to terms with the news and I naturally had so many concerns... "She is still unwell, how will she cope?" "How am I going to do this? Look after her AND a baby?" "Will the baby be ok?" The ante had just been upped and I felt massively unprepared for what was to come, I had to live with and look after a 19 year old, unwell, pregnant person and continue to run a shop. In all honesty, it was a monumental task but I was committed to try my best - the pressure was on.
The Shop and Clifton Village
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Aspire Jewellery was well received in the area, people liked our unusual pieces, and I had regular returning clients who purchased often for all occasions. The shop certainly felt like the 'new kid on the block', but I felt that helped us to stand out and to draw footfall. Although we were quiet in regards to footfall, we ticked over and took enough takings to pay the rent, rates and bills - we were waiting for it to "take off" and have some improvement in takings.
I tried my best to be included in local events and collaborate with other businesses where I had the time and means to do so. I advertised in the local magazines and newspapers regularly with some decent write ups and reviews which felt great!
The hairdressers next door brought their clients in regularly for introduction and occasionally they would purchase something. One thing I cannot fault Bristol for, is the kindness of strangers in that city.
My sisters arrival
My sole job and purpose there was to look after my sister, this was the reason for the shop, the reason for me leaving my life behind and putting it on hold, the reason I was there was for her.
My sister and I growing up never really had a relationship. We only truly started to get to know each other whilst living together in Bristol of which I have the fondest of memories and I am most grateful for.
I wanted to show her how good life can be, how a difference in scenery will make a difference to you mentally.
First and foremost I was her carer, she needed looking after but she also needed to feel safe and happy. I tried every day to make her laugh and to do something fun with her, even when I didn't feel like it.
I loved seeing her grow and get better, I was relieved actually, some of that pressure was lifting, what I was doing was working!
The Baby
My Niece and I
In March 2015 my niece was born, it was a beautiful occasion, a beautiful new born girl safely arriving into the world; I was happy and relieved of that and I felt like a massive part of my job was done when she arrived. However, the reality kicked in even more so, I now have to look after a baby as well! I began to feel the pressure again.
The closure of the shop
In waiting for the arrival of my niece, we were still waiting on the shop to "take off" however even though we were breaking even and on time with rent, rates and bills, as there was nothing left after these outgoings my parents had been supplementing our personal rent, food, bills and it simply couldn't go on any longer - the pot had run dry.
Takings had always just been enough to break even and, except for Christmas, it stayed that way until we sadly couldn't carry on anymore not making a profit.
I personally felt like I had wanted to go back to London, live my own life again, have fun, be a then 23 year old and have no real responsibilities for a while.
I was sad and guilt ridden for "abandoning" my sister and niece but I also understood that, even if I had managed to find a secure job in Bristol, one income alone wouldn't have been enough to look after them still. I had done all I could with the tools I had at the time.
Perhaps it was foolish to expect that within one year of any business, with no real online presence in the modern digital age also, would survive and thrive long enough to prop up 3 people.
My sister and niece returned to Devon to be looked after by my parents which I think was the best solution at the time.
My journey back to London
I remember waving goodbye in Bristol to my mum, dad, sister & niece feeling awful. I cried in the taxi to the train station and again when I arrived in London. I just felt so guilty for leaving them behind but I knew I had to live my own life again.
I started my new job as a sales assistant for Watches of Switzerland in the summer of 2015 and was enjoying being amongst like minded people and the hustle and bustle of the capital.
I soon missed working with jewellery so transferred to Mappin & Webb on Regent Street to their flagship store as the Rolex Ambassador and in charge of looking after the jewellery.
I soon realised that the focus was again on watches so when the opportunity arose I applied for a position at Garrard who hired me in the summer 2016 and I have been working there ever since.
What I have learnt in London
Being in the luxury industry is naturally so completely different to working in a small family run jewellery store. In a strange way, people are the same, but the individuals that I see are different. I feel as though I have honed the basics that was instilled into me working for my parents whilst at Garrard and this has allowed me to connect with clients on a more personal level.
I also learnt more about online marketing, managing website enquiries, social media, visual merchandise - all of these things that were not of primary focus in Devon and indeed in Bristol.
The re-conception of Aspire Jewellery online and the future
The same question that kept on popping up was "What could I have done differently"
The guilt that I felt for leaving my sister and niece was still apparent in my mind and whilst in London I believe I was looking to somehow answer that question for my own peace of mind. I wanted to know the answer or answers to what could I have done differently.
I now know that, at the time of being in Bristol running the physical shop, that I did the very best I could with the tools I had at the time and that I mustn't beat myself up about it - however, I feel it is important to learn from your past so do not repeat mistakes and improve oneself.
Being in London allowed me to see what was missing and what we were lacking initially which was, now so rudimentary, the basics of social media, online campaigns and a website. I was advertising in newspapers and magazines, I can now see that perhaps that budget would have been better spent online and who knows may have increased our chances of survival.
I try not to stray into the 'coulda should woulda' mindset and the abyss of 'what ifs'. All I know is that I have learnt what now works in the digital age and where I went wrong.
I decided to re-ignite the flame of Aspire Jewellery but run it solely as an online shop. It allows me to keep the costs down which in turn allows me to have a fair price for the jewellery for you to purchase.
In conclusion
At present I am happy with where Aspire Jewellery is, being an online shop is very sensible and a versatile option away from the confines and expenses of a physical shop presence. But who knows, perhaps in the future I will look to again have a physical shop unit once more, maybe even in Clifton village.
My sister and niece have since returned to the Bristol area and although their current situation isn't perfect I am happy to report that my sister is no longer seriously unwell and is improving day by day.
I have no regrets about helping my sister and given the choice I would do it again in a heartbeat.
I want to thank you for reading this post, and hope it sheds some light into the real reason behind Aspire Jewellery.
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