At the start of this year I told you (article of the 2024 resolutions) that we needed to expand the team. I am happy to announce that this goal has been achieved!
First of all, a little flashback on the 2024 resolutions in which I confided that the arrival of Marie Hélène at the end of May 2023 was intended to free up some of my time. I managed my time well until around September... Then, I let myself be carried away by my creativity: I increased the range of course themes, the time slots, etc., and Marie Hélène, who was mainly supposed to support me, now has a full course load.
So, my main goal for the first quarter was to strengthen the team in order to take better care of myself and avoid running out of time.
Drumroll! Who is this person joining the team?
You might have guessed: it’s Céline, our wonderful saleswoman and crochet teacher who used to come a few hours a week, now joining us full-time! I am delighted to add this little gem to our team!
So, want to know more about Céline and the team?
But who is Céline aka Mrs. Chirpy
First of all, I must make a little correction! No, Céline is not our Saturday student... She is a fairy who fell into the fountain of youth, that’s all! Would you believe me if I told you she is the eldest member of the team?
But let’s get back to the matter at hand...
Céline joined the team in May 2022 when we opened our physical shop. She came for sales on Saturdays while I was giving sewing courses. In 2023, she took the plunge and started giving crochet courses while continuing to work for her main employer as a restorer of archaeological metal objects.
I knew Céline loved both her jobs but at the end of 2023, I took the initiative and asked her if she wanted to join the team full-time. After a few weeks of setting up, contract management, notice period..., here she is hired as of the first of March this year!
Céline is therefore joining us during the week. She will handle sales but also prepare web orders with her gentle hands 😊. Our crochet specialist will be able to advise you throughout the week. Cool, isn’t it?
Céline will of course continue to give crochet courses and we are working on other course developments 🤫 We will keep you informed as this will likely take quite some preparation time. Here I am already brainstorming... I feel we will need a fourth person soon 😂😂😂
Fun Facts:
Céline is the "ultimate finder" of four-leaf clovers! She has plenty... and collects them.
Céline loves pink but also all colors because choosing means giving up...
She is very slender but I assure you she has a good appetite and, as a true Belgian, she loves endives au gratin.
Want to please her? Her favorite flowers are daisies and hellebores.
But then, you might ask me, "what will the others do? if Céline does everything..." Well, uh, read on...
Marie Hélène: our shop advisor and teacher of sewing and knitting
Marie Hélène joined the team in May 2023 to support me first with sales and then with sewing courses. Graduated in women's garment making from the Jeanne Toussaint Institute, Marie-Hélène passionately teaches sewing but also knitting, which has been added to our course offerings since September 2023. Moreover, she has a superpower: she is left-handed! If she takes her tools in a right-handed way, she can also knit and guide you in knitting instruction 😊 for both right- and left-handers, and that’s great.
Marie will continue to handle her course load. It has really grown over the last 6 months and it was difficult to manage courses and the shop with just the two of us. With Céline’s arrival, Marie and I will be able to focus on courses and offer you new things. We will therefore offer more course times and other themes.
Marie has also started writing some articles for the blog and I hope she will continue to help me in this regard 😊.
Fun facts:
Marie absolutely needs coffee to start the day.
Her favorite color is mauve and she always has a touch of it with her.
Marie has an incredible and puzzling power: she can laugh and cry at the same time... yes, yes!
If you want to please her, her favorite flowers are freesias (like me) but she also enjoys a box of candied chestnuts or a rose or lavender herbal tea.
Gaëtan the super manager and lord of the purse
Gaëtan is first and foremost my beloved but not only that... he is superman, my management partner. Because yes, he is the one who does the clever calculations, the complicated formulas with the bankers... in short, he is a real mathematician.
Beyond that, he manages what he calls "the finances," he is the real boss 😂. Believe me, it’s no small feat in a small growing business like ours!
Finally, he is my proofreader for blog articles and newsletters but also our male photo model (when he wants and when we have gently pushed him).
Fun Facts:
Gaëtan loves chocolate! If you want to keep some for yourself, you absolutely have to hide the box.
He is the first Japan enthusiast who passed the bug on to me
He loves colors and is not afraid when I suggest neon, glitter, and other combinations for his sewing projects.
Eugénie: shop manager, teacher of sewing and embroidery, and responsible for purchasing and fabric overflow in the shop 😂
I am delighted that Céline is with me in the shop, this will allow me to devote more time to product management (ordering, partnerships, stock management...), searching for gems for our "joly coupons," planning and developing courses; and finally to tidying the shop and workshop
The goal is that I no longer prepare web orders and that I have at least two days a week dedicated to the points mentioned above in order to regain the essence of the shop: an environment where everyone feels good. A shop where you receive quality advice given by people who know what they are talking about. A place to take the courses I would have loved to have at the start, more than 10 years ago.
Fun Facts:
I am passionate about Japan (even more than Gaëtan who infected me) and my love for the country led me to learn Japanese. Yes, yes, the shop radio is in Japanese 😂
My favorite color is red. I really have to be careful when selecting fabrics or the shop would really have a dominant color 😂
My favorite flower is the freesia just like Marie.
There you go! You know almost everything (and yes, one must keep some mystery)
Moreover, in terms of time management, we will continue to offer you workshops during the day, in the evening, and on Saturdays so that you can find times that suit you.
We will continue to offer you: sewing (from absolute beginner to advanced), embroidery (classic and sashiko), knitting and crochet also for beginners and advanced!
We will also continue groups of 6 people for sewing up to 10 for theoretical courses so that you are always in small groups in our charming little cocoon.
The program for the second quarter is online and already filling up well, so don’t hesitate too long to register if some themes interest you.
