here we are in another month - and i’m bringing you another exciting entrepreneurial journey to read about. this one is a little bit special, as zitozza has a brand new stockist in scotland - HAYM, located on the high street of carnoustie, and i had a chance to have a lovely chat with the inspiring businesswoman behind it - janice reid. as i’m always on the hunt for new treasures, i feel really hopeful about the opening of new places, especially after such a hiatus. i think there’s a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings about local businesses supporting each-other - with everything that’s been behind us this past year, i wanted to learn more about janice’s journey and get a serving or two of the positivity!
ZITA: hi janice! can you say a few words about yourself – what you do and how you got there?
JANICE: ok, well my name is janice reid but my maiden name was hay which is part of the reason my new shop is called HAYM. i have lived most of my life in carnoustie but was born in dundee and went to university there where i studied architecture. I went on to work as an architect for almost 20 years, laterally becoming an associate with trail architects and i really loved my job and those who I worked with. my decision to change careers was based on my family situation.
ZITA: i see! has the shop been a long-held dream or something that developed through time? did you find it difficult to make the decision to go for it and open?
JANICE: i have wanted to open my own shop for some time now but always thought it was a bit of a pipe dream but many things influenced my decision to bite the bullet and just go for it. I had been off work on maternity following the birth of my 2nd daughter then after a short spell back at work i was furloughed due to covid. times have been so tough for so many because of the pandemic, there has been so many lives lost and so many people have found themselves in financial hardship but if anything positive can come out of such an awful situation it is that it makes you think that life is short and you should do what makes you happy. it made me reassess my life and gave me the drive and ambition to just go for it. I feel with my design background it is not such a huge leap more of a natural progression in a different direction.
ZITA: what a brilliant attitude! and it resonates a lot – zitozza came out of a similar situation. i do wonder, how has your background in architecture influenced your buying decisions, when it comes to finding stock for your shop? are you going for a particular style or feel – and if you do, where does it come from? where do you look for your curatorial inspirations?
JANICE: i have really just chosen what i like, there is no particular style, if i like it, i will sell it, but that said once all the stock is pulled together certain trends do emerge, there is a lot of monochrome and sharp lines which I guess comes from my architectural background. i am also drawn towards designers like yourself, align jewellery, hannah muir, steph liddle and jld designs who all have obvious architectural influences in their work.
ZITA: brilliant. i’ll certainly look for something for my new studio perhaps… obviously this whole period hasn’t been great for retail but people have also been getting more supportive for the values independent businesses represent. have you found it quite a supportive environment so far?
JANICE: i have found the industry to be hugely supportive and have really loved how nice everyone is and how happy they are to help. i have come from quite a harsh environment so that has been so refreshing. my customers have also been super supportive, i have had a huge amount of positive feedback and am being told on the whole that people want to shop local, support local businesses and local artists. there are lots of other lovely shops in carnoustie which makes shopping on the high street a positive experience and a destination visit. there is always the odd one that tells me i ‘must be mad and who gives up a career like architecture to go into retail during a pandemic!?’ i just ignore them!
ZITA: it’s great hearing this buzz around local business. how is HAYM going to stand out?
JANICE: so, we have great plans for HAYM, we have started with the bricks and mortar store and will concentrate on that initially, we offer a carefully curated selection of gorgeous homewares and lifestyle products and have a letterbox gifting which we will be promoting more shortly. once restrictions allow we will also be providing evening workshops including lampshade making and candle making to name a few. once these services are fully established we will be then be taking HAYM online.
ZITA: how brilliant! when it comes to customer attitudes, apart from style (obviously), environmental and ethical responsibility has also been becoming a stronger deciding factor, with regards to textiles especially. has this been important to you throughout your selection? If this was a guiding principle, was it difficult to source these products?
JANICE: this is very important to me. i wanted to keep as many scottish suppliers as possible, not only is this important for local tourism, it supports local businesses and reduces the impact on the environment through reducing transportation. i have also tried to work with designers who are eco-conscious when both designing and making and who are committed to sustainability, where possible using materials which are reusable, recyclable or biodegradable. this has not been difficult, i have found that more and more companies are practicing green procurement, this involves sourcing goods and services that are produced and supplied in a sustainable fashion and sourcing from local suppliers rather than those located far away. we also provide 100% recyclable paper bags and environmentally friendly recycled packaging.
ZITA: amazing. ultimately, what do you hope shoppers will find at HAYM – and return for years for?
JANICE: i hope they will find a friendly, comfortable environment to browse and shop in. i want them to find unique, quality, beautiful pieces for themselves and for others. i want to be that ‘go to’ place for gorgeous gifts.
ZITA: one more thing - can you recommend a book or an artist or a maker whose work is worth looking into? something that keeps you going? this could be an inspiring read or someone else whose product you might stock. I ask this question from everyone, i love getting inspired by everyone else’s influences.
JANICE: the boy, the mole, the fox and the horse by charlie mackesy.
this book is just beautiful in every sense of the word.
ZITA: wonderful, thanks a lot!
JANICE: thank you.
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HAYM is open since 1st may 2021, at 41 high street, carnoustie, dd7 6ag.
open tues - fri 9:30am - 5:30pm, sat 9am - 4pm.
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