Launching INC - the heart of tinch!
Perhaps this was inevitable: I always aspired to run my own design store.
I already was actually!
But to showcase products by other creatives - not just my own brand - felt like the next natural step of my career.
A quick recap of how this came to fruition:
- Tinch was established 2009. So I was a decade into web-sales as designer and creative self employment.
- 2015 I co-founded an incorporated non-profit society to establish and run Dunedin design store, Guild. There I was curator and coordinator, and loved it.
- 2018 I ran a pop-up store in Oamaru as 'Guild' to pilot our concept in another town
- Late 2018 I handed over the non-profit batton to the next wave of Dunedin creatives to pursue my own initiative, knitting everything together that I loved and learned. Here in little Oamaru. Around this time our 4th baby arrived.
- June 2019 we opened a 'concept store' in our very own home. 'Inc Design Store'. A blend of everything I'd done and learned to-date. A space to step into - when it's not my studio - to experience the space that I love to create in, to be inspired by and access works by other creatives, not just my work.
INC is literally at the heart of Tinch.
It's about showcasing and supporting the incredible talent that I have grown proud to work alongside in the independent creative scene around NZ.
It's about shopping local. Enjoying local experiences.
It's about discovering creative talent, and understanding the stories behind a product.
It's about finding your own creative instincts.
INC stands for inclusion, increasing, incubating and is the middle 3 letters of Tinch, my own creative brand.
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I found after having our 4th child, my ability to design AND produce the way I used to really diminished. Without outsourcing, moving to mass-manufacture, or selling the business, I needed to evolve the brand simultaneously with our family life.
Juggling wholesale & retail supply (at a small scale mind, at times not very well). Online shoppers and locals seemed to really enjoy stepping into my studio to collect their orders, experiencing my space and meeting the designer/maker. I felt it would be nice to offer a whole lot more, since my product range varied significantly around family life and time limitations. I knew of so much talent around the country that wasn't already available here, and I also knew Oamaru was keen for it, the pop-up shop I ran the year before proved it!
INC store aims to offer something a bit different, a bit special.
Bespoke orders are welcome.
Everything comes with a story.
Items here are curated to be here, for good reason.
I know the people behind the brands, and feel proud to showcase them from my home, and help you connect with them.
These items aren't available on the web-store, they're part of the experience when you visit. If you see something you'd love to purchase, please contact and we can arrange shipping - otherwise I look forward to seeing you here!
