Hampstead Business Mums - Elodie, Shanael
How long have you lived in the Hampstead area?
I've been living in and around the area for 9 years now.
Where did you grow up? Was it similar to Hampstead?
I grew up in a town near Paris, which is pretty similar to Hampstead,
with houses and gardens, and lots of families. I moved to London about
10 years ago.
Did you choose to live here or did it just happen that way.
I first moved to South Kensington from Paris, which is super nice,
lots of restaurants and shops. Then, I moved closer to most of my
friends near Hampstead and St Johns Wood. Since I never wanted to
move. I love this neighbourhood, perfect place to raise children and a
family.
Describe your family
I met my amazing husband in London 8 years ago, we now have two
adorable little girls 4 and 2 years old. They are my world. I am also
very close to my two sisters and my parents and my lovely aunty
Brigitte, all living in France.
What’s your favourite thing to do over the weekend.
Every weekend is all about spending time with our little girls. We
love going to soft plays, and after enjoy a big burger or a pizza, but
only restaurants that are kids friendly. We also love going to the
London Zoo, and to theme parks like Chessington.
Are there any classes/businesses in the area you really love and would
like others to know about?
I love going with my daughters to a cooking class, it is lots of fun,
and it can be messy: breaking eggs, mixing ingredients and eating our
preparation ;) The cooking class takes place at the JW3 every Thursday
after school with the nutritionist Kathleen so all the recipes are low
on fat and on sugar! Icing on the cake, she is great with kids and she
is doing also cooking parties for birthdays! www.cooking-parties.com
and www.mydietcoachkathleen.com
Club Petit Pierrot classes are perfect for kids to learn French in a
fun way!
I am a fan of parenting blogs. I am addicted to them and follow every
posts, pictures, videos, articles and advices.
Mother Pukka is a vlog and vlog for people who happen to be parents.
It's a bit of light relief from the parental storm!
Mamazou is a community supporting all parents for perfectly imperfect
parenting.
My Baba is the place to go for the daily scoop on family, food and
lifestyle, brimming with the latest fashion trends, travel
destinations, hottest restaurants, daily recipes, crafts, activities
and fun days out for all the family.
Favourite restaurant in the area?
Big fan of the Ivy that opened earlier in St Johns Wood High
Street. So so delicious and service is excellent.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Anywhere near the beach and very sunny :)
Do you have much family around?
Unfortunately we do not have family living around, and we miss them a
lot. Luckily they come and visit quite often, and those special times
are amazing. Thanks G-d we have skype and facetime!
Did you always know you wanted your own business?
Not really, it really came to me when I became a mum, I think at that
time everything changes, your goal in life, the reason why you wake up
everyday, everything starts making more sense.
Please describe your business? When did you start it?
Shanael is the Online Concept Store for Babies, Kids, Mums and Dads in the UK. We select the best products for kids from Europe, bringing trendy and French chic style to the UK. When I had my first baby, almost 4 years ago, I struggled to find something I like for my baby’s bedroom, I decided to start an online shop with refined baby products. Shanael.com has been launched in September 2015. Now our online shop has two parts: Furniture and Decoration, and Gifts. On one side, we offer a nice selection of kids furniture with a wide price range, and decoration from rugs to lightning, armchairs and highchairs. On another side, we have a large selection of gifts for newborns, kids, mums and dads, a lot of them can be personalised, and selecting only the finest, offering something different from the high streets.
Our priority is our customers, we like to offer excellent customer service being honest, responsive and dedicated. Our customers often share their pictures on social medias, and we have more and more reviews now www.facebook.com/shanaelstore/.
Quality is so important especially when it is for our kids, a lot of our products are made in Europe. Last but not least, prices: we make sure our prices are the most competitive.
What drives you to run your own business?
Running my own business allows me to have more flexibility with my work, and have a better work-life balance around my family. I am supporting @mother_pukka #flexappeal campaign for more flexibility at work for all of us, employees, employers, entrepreneurs, big companies
and startups. Flexibility is something that all mums need. It does not mean work less, not at all, but work with more flexibility allowing to be there for our kids, and have a career
Is your other half supportive? In the family home? With the business?
I could not have done it without my husband and my family's support. They have been so supportive and helped me to keep going. I am very grateful to have them.
If you didn’t start your own business, what would you have been doing?
A musical actress, just a dream, I don't even know how to sing :D
Where can we find you?
www.shanael.com
Instagram @shanael_store
Twitter @shanael_store
Pinterest @shanael_store
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shanaelstore/