What's in a name?

I'll be honest, the naming part of my business was - for me - pretty straightforward. All it needed was an ampersand (and who doesn't love an ampersand?) between the Harriet (my first name) and Rose (you guessed it, my middle name), and that was that. 

This is not the actually regarded to be the best way to name a business. When reading up on it, it's suggested that you somehow get across what it is you do via the name. If you are planning on ever selling your business NEVER use your own name (this is not something that I foresee ever being an issue). Above all, if you are primarily using ecommerce as your platform, have an easy to spell web address so that things are catchy and easy to remember (and not get wrong).

I cannot tell you how many iterations of the spelling of Harriet I have seen. Most of them just rely on an extra 't' or a dropped 'r', but others use an 'o' in place of an 'e', and some just get it even more wrong than that. I once had someone ask me how I spelled Harriet, and I spelled it out to them. It transpired they had also called their daughter Harriet, but spelled it Hariote 'you know, to be a bit different.'

I am Harriet, and I am Rose, but the business has two distinct arms (which you can read more about here), so I like the idea of separating it into the gift shop, and the gift-finder service. I also hope that in the future there will be an actual Rose (though I won't make their name being Rose a requirement on the application form, that would narrow the field a little too much).

I have taken onboard the need for a snappier web address and so www.gifts.je is Harriet and Rose (www.harrietandrose.co.uk also works too), and hopefully not only tells you what we do, but helps you find the website swiftly too.

The germ of an idea for Harriet and Rose has come from my own shopping experiences in Jersey. I love the place that I call home, but whenever I've had to produce a present at the last minute, I've struggled, and that's why I started the business.

Having owned and designed for my own bridal jewellery business in the UK, I've been lucky enough to meet some pretty awesome small business owners and creators - and it is them who I spoke to when the business idea first emerged.

I want to take the hassle out of giving people thoughtful gift that they will actually WANT to keep, and WANT to tell people about. If you don't see what you want on here, I can help you source it. What I want most of all is for you to think 'hmmm, I need to get a really lovely card for Sarah,' or 'I want an original housewarming gift,' or even 'I know what you need straight after a baby has been born isn't a babygrow - you have seventeen - it's cake!' and to automatically come to Harriet and Rose.

I've put my name(s) on the business because I care. Because I want your shopping experience to be personal and bespoke... and because I will want you to know a bit about who runs Harriet and Rose, and why not start with a name...