With a love for the ocean that was born years ago on the white beaches of Mozambique, mother of three Ashleigh Burnand took a leap of faith when she started her now highly successful lifestyle brand, Shoreline.
Stunning, family-sized printed beach towels, gorgeous cooler bags made from recycled plastic bottles and woven grass placemats that are perfect for alfresco celebrations, Shoreline is all about the outdoors and living the North Coast lifestyle.
Having grown up in KZN, founder Ashleigh spent her childhood holidays on the beaches of Mozambique … deep sea fishing, scuba diving, snorkelling and shell collecting. It was here, she says, that her love for the ocean was born.
Married to her high school sweetheart and with three children aged 11, 9 and 2, Ashleigh began her career as a pre-school teacher before stumbling into the world of retail.
“I landed a job as the assistant to the account manager of the ‘kitchen and furniture’ department of a company that supplied homeware chain stores. I fell in love with it and spent the next 15 years in the industry.”
Like for so many people, Covid brought with it a chance for Ashleigh and her husband to reflect and re-evaluate their family’s needs. After much thought and deliberation, she decided to leave her management position. “I didn’t really know what my next move would be, but one evening my husband said he had some space in a container and perhaps we should bring some product in. I decided to give it a go. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”
When Ashleigh discovered the XL beach blanket (which is still one of her best-selling items), Shoreline was born. “It’s a lightweight towel that is big enough for the whole family to sit on – and dries in half the time of an ordinary towel!”
While there has been a lot of hard work (as well as blood, sweat and tears), Ashleigh says growing the brand and business has been a wonderful learning curve – and a great deal of fun.
“From working in a corporate, structured environment for close on 15 years to ‘going it alone’ has been daunting at times, but also extremely liberating and rewarding.
“I work with some of the most incredible entrepreneurs around southern Africa – from start-ups to businesses that have been around for years – each with their own story to tell. It has broadened my experience and given me great perspective.”
In terms of her product offering, Ashleigh says she wanted to be able to offer items that were both beautiful and unique in design while still being affordable. “Wherever possible I try to support and sustain employment in local communities, and I am proud to say that almost eighty percent of our current product range is locally manufactured.”
Shoreline products are available online (they ship nationwide), as well as at their Shoreline store at La Lucia Mall and various stockists.
Details: www.shoreline-za.com, [email protected], @shoreline_za
