What I love most...
❝LIVING IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE. THE PLANTS AND BOTANICALS, COUNTRYSIDE AND COASTAL SURROUNDINGS, ALL INSPIRE MY PRODUCTS❞
running my interior design practice alongside all this, so it was a bit of a juggle – but it also meant I could manage financially.’
From the very start, the safety and efficacy of the Yellow Gorse products has always been key (indeed, all of those termed ‘cosmetic’ must be sent to a specialist testing laboratory before being marketed; see
Small Business Advice, page 67). ‘Using organically grown quality ingredients is vitally important to me, not only because of their superiority and proven benefits, but because they’re safer and better for the environment,’ Julia says. ‘I’ve dedicated a lot of time to finding trusted, reliable suppliers.’
As time passed, Yellow Gorse thrived. ‘While I didn’t actively seek them out, wholesalers seemed to find me,’ Julia recalls. ‘Soon I was supplying a number of shops and outlets around the country, as well as selling through both the shop and the online store, launched in 2016. My son Olly – now grown up – also got more involved, and we took stands at leading exhibitions in London which proved a worthwhile experience.’
By now, Julia’s product range had grown significantly, and the company had begun to expand in other ways, too. ‘Four years ago, we opened a sister shop in Bridport called Home Boheme, which is more of a lifestyle store. Then we decided we also needed a bigger shop in Swanage, having literally outgrown the old one!’
In 2019, a former hairdressers on a quiet street proved the answer. ‘It was all rather tired looking,’ Julia explains. ‘But it had a studio space at the back where I could make all the products, plus plenty of storage room. I decided to take the plunge!’ With the help of a small team, Julia makes every product in the tiny studio at the back of the shop.
Resourceful as ever, she did all the work to transform the interior herself, from building shelves and erecting display areas to painting every surface white. She shunned expensive fixtures and fittings in favour of reclaimed wooden shelves, upcycled open pine cupboards, wire box containers and vintage furniture. Other items were also introduced to add layers of interest, from lush green plants and woven baskets to textured cushions and soft hammam towels.
‘The look is everything I naturally lean to – simple, clean and fresh,’ Julia says. ‘I love spending time here in the evenings when it’s quiet, changing the displays, and thinking through ideas. It helps me to stay creative and connected to what I’m doing. This is a business, of course, but at the heart of it is the urge to create something which will make the home a relaxing haven, as it’s meant to be.’