If we haven’t met before, welcome to Ruby’s Home Store…

Hey there friendly reader. Welcome back to my blog! For reasons that’ll become clear in a minute, it’s been a while between blogs and I’ve been feeling the pull to get back into the swing of things. There are so many new followers in the Ruby’s Home Store community, I thought it’d be a great time to go over some of the questions I get asked the most. If you’re wondering, I’m Jane – founder of Ruby's Home Store and my homewares subscription box service, The Hometastic Box. You might think running two businesses would be enough to keep me out of mischief, but I also work part time in my first professional love as a recovery nurse. Besides that, I’m a grandmother, wife and mother based on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Want to know the inner workings of life wearing all those different hats? Read on…

So who’s the ‘Ruby’ in Ruby’s Home Store if you’re Jane?

I get asked this a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Most people who are new to the Ruby’s Home Store world makes the assumption that as the founder, Ruby is me. But in fact, Ruby is my eldest granddaughter. I have two other gorgeous grandchildren too, Oakley and Thea. They’re all back in the UK, so I don’t get to see them as often as I would like to. I miss my grandkids and their parents dearly, but at least the store is a way of keeping connected to them in a small way. On the plus side, I have the privilege of staying connected with my stepdaughter’s two gorgeous daughters, who are my ‘surrogate’ grandchildren here in Australia.

Why did you set up Ruby’s Home Store?

Well that’s a bit of a longer answer, but I’ll try to give you the best bits here. I moved out to Australia from the UK back in 2009. I loved living in Australia (still do), but there were things that I was missing from home no matter how hard the sun shone. I met so many other British expats who felt the same way, and of course Aussies who have a strong affinity with all things British. There are certain British products that carry a distinct character and quality that can’t be found here in Australia, so I decided to do something about it!

Add to that, I’ve always wanted to own my own store (and just so happen to be a hopeless homewares addict) and Ruby’s Home Store just made sense…

Is it just you behind the scenes?

Yes and no. I’m the brains and face of the business, but there are so many people who support me living out my dream of owning and running a homewares store. My husband Stephen has been an incredible support in helping me bring Ruby’s Home Store to life. However with some fairly serious health conditions, Stephen needs to take a bit more of life in the slow lane – you won’t see too much of him... just think of him like a fabulously rare bird that’s hard to find, but a total treat to spot when you do!

I’m so blessed to have such incredible, supportive, talented people in my life, helping you get your British fix, and helping me live out one of my biggest life’s ambitions.

Does Ruby’s Home Store have a physical space?

For now, Ruby’s Home Store is an online-only set up. One day, I may change the way I do things, but for now, this is how I manage to juggle all the different demands in my life! And of course, having an online store means you can shop with me any time from anywhere without having to wait for my doors to open at a particular time!

That’s about it from me for this instalment of the blog. If you have any other questions for me, you can always reach out over the socials, or by email at: jane@rubyshomestore.com.au

Until next time, friends, 

Lots of Love 

Jane x