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\u201cI have always had this burning need to have my own business and help others. I love to make people happy. To make them feel special and needed. That\u2019s what Craig did for me. Next to my sons, James and Matt, he was also my biggest cheerleader in life,\u201d says Kate, whose creativity was nurtured in her childhood home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember as a kid, my dad would often be in his workshop and my mom in her sewing room or the kitchen. My grandmother gave me my first sewing machine \u2013 a beautiful antique Singer \u2013 and with my mom\u2019s help I made my own clothes from an early age, says Kate.<\/p>\n
In 2014, a few years before she\u2019d met Craig, Kate started a fledging business she called Home-Industry, as a creative outlet for herself and her employee, Virginia Malinga. The duo made fabric necklaces and personalised silver pendants.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d travelled internationally with my company, was exposed to other cultures and saw so many beautiful products which would form the basis of my inspiration to build an uplifting gifting business for life\u2019s special occasions. Then, unfortunately, my world collapsed with divorce, and it was one thing after the next and my business got left behind,\u201d says Kate, who was uplifted after having found love again with Craig.<\/p>\n
\u201cI shared my dreams and he shared his \u2013 to build a business with the ethos of uplifting gifting, where the giver and receiver both experience joy while supporting local businesses and crafters.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pair planned and strategised and stuck with the name Home-Industry, because it had meaning to Kate.<\/p>\n \u201cThe name took me back to my youth and the old home industry shops we used to pop into. I admired how the community was involved in proudly supplying their best products – from baked goods to crocheted items. I loved the authenticity of the experience, but wanted to add a design element to it,\u201d says Kate, adding that the couple even had their own mantra.<\/p>\n \u201cMeraki \u2013 it\u2019s a symbol for doing something with soul creativity or love; leaving a piece of yourself in what you are doing,\u201d says Kate, who was later shattered by Craig\u2019s sudden death during the pandemic. \u201cWe were such a lovely match because he had the financial acumen and decades of retail experience while I was more creative.\u201d<\/p>\n In spite of her grief, Kate realised she needed to throw herself into Home-Industry. Craig had always said it was her calling.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want the business or our dreams to end with his life,\u201d says Kate, \u201cand it also answered the terrible question of what should I do with my time. Craig was gone, my kids had left home, and I didn\u2019t want to have nothing to do. I needed to get out of my sad slump so I used my creativity\u00a0to\u00a0express my\u00a0grief\u00a0\u2013 a kind of\u00a0cathartic\u00a0release of emotions.\u201c<\/p>\n Not only did this help Kate navigate her grieving process, find confidence and realise her purpose, but it also became a way for her to honour Craig, who she feels is still very much a part of what she does.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though he\u2019s not physically here, he\u2019s prepped me, in a way. So, I\u2019m very fortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n Among woven baskets stuffed with green plants and succulents, a collection of happy memories in black and white on the calming grey walls, and wooden furniture, Kate\u2019s products are stacked and packed on every flat surface of her home. From jewellery and accessories, to home fragrances, d\u00e9cor and pantry items, she believes that gifting is an art form.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not enough to put pretty things inside a box,\u201d she says. \u201cThere must be purpose and meaning behind the items to make the gift special for everyone – from the maker to the giver to the receiver,\u201d says Kate adding that the bigger purpose of Home-Industry is to make meaningful products that last, while supporting women who need a secondary income while working from home.<\/p>\n \u201cThe quality of the product you get is better because people put love and attention into the small batches they\u2019re making. The hands behind most of our products belong to grannies, students, mothers, ceramicists, art lovers, alchemists, wood workers, artists and crafters,\u201d all whom, says, have a common love of making beautiful products.<\/p>\n \u201cCraig and I used to have this philosophy that everything is just better together. There\u2019s so much creativity in South Africa, and we have to all help each other out,\u201d says Kate.<\/p>\n Sustainability is another important focus of Kate\u2019s. Her latest range of scented pouches is made with fabric offcuts from designer textile houses.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re using their waste and preventing it from going into the landfill.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Kate\u2019s main trade resource is her online shop, she understands the value of a brick-and-mortar store, supplying a few outlets in Durban and Cape Town with a limited range of her products.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/highway-berea\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2024\/03\/Kate1-267x400.jpg\")
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