Aware House

What does shopping small have to do with slowing down?

More than you might realize.

These days, a lot of life happens online. We scroll, click, buy and move on. Everything is designed to be faster, easier and more convenient.
When you shop small, things tend to move a little differently.

Shopping small usually means shopping handmade, small batch, or shopping local. Maybe you’re purchasing at a farmers market in person. Maybe it’s a made-to-order item online that takes a few weeks to create.

Shopping small means buying from real people. It means choosing things with character, personality and a story behind them. It means taking a moment to think about where something came from, who made it and why it exists.

That’s what inspired our Summer Digital Catalog, a free downloadable magazine releasing this Tuesday. Inside, you’ll meet ten of the makers behind Aware House and learn a little more about the people you’re supporting when you choose to shop small with us.

These are creators who have spent years perfecting their craft. Their products reflect the time, care and attention to detail behind them. Because creativity takes time, quality takes time, and building something meaningful takes time.

The ability to slow down still exists. The ability to shop handmade still exists. Maybe this summer is a good time to do a little more of both 🩵

There’s a lot of pressure as a business owner to “make it big.” Raise money, scale quickly, land on a Forbes list, hit huge revenue milestones.

The internet is full of stories celebrating businesses that seem to grow overnight. For a long time, I thought that was the goal too.

Last year, I invested heavily in advertising and growth. While it helped introduce Aware House to new customers, I eventually realized it wasn’t something I could maintain as a young business.

More importantly, I realized I wasn’t actually enjoying work anymore.

I found myself constantly stressing about targets, finances and what needed to happen next. There was always another goal to hit, another metric to improve and another advertising bill to pay. Even though last year was our best year yet, I still felt a lot of pressure, not relief.

So this year, I made some changes.

I stopped paid advertising, cut unnecessary expenses and focused on making the business as financially sustainable as possible.

At first, it felt uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure how sales would react. But six months later, sales are up 25% compared to this time last year.

What I’ve learned is that simplifying the business didn’t hold it back. If anything, it helped me focus on what was actually working.

Taking pressure off allowed me to take pressure off myself. I can think more clearly, make better decisions and actually enjoy building Aware House again.

Maybe that’s not the most exciting or glamorous business strategy. But I’d rather enjoy the process than chase growth for growth’s sake.

Let me know your thoughts! 🩵

The summer pieces you didn’t know you needed 🏖️

This one’s a lengthy one. We have so many new arrivals for you guys to check out

All handmade and built to last for hundreds of summers