All you need is one look at East + Acland’s products and you will be hooked. Their designs are timeless, unique, and vibrant. I love browsing their online shop and seeing their newest creations and colour combinations. Ted and Ursula’s work is unlike anything I have seen before, their craftsmanship is on point, their styling is incredibly attractive, and their talent goes without saying. This husband and wife shop has a very bright future as this is just the beginning of their journey, lets take a look at how they got here.
In 2011 Ted and Ursula discovered that they were going to become first time parents and like most parents, wanted to create the perfect nursery for their little one. They went on the hunt to find specific one-of-a-kind décor pieces that would add a personalized touch to their child’s nursery. After a failed search to find items that best suited their style and a general lack of quality products in the nursery décor market, Ted and Ursula decided to start something on their own.
Sharing a love for design and fine craftsmanship, Ted and Ursula used their combined skills in custom cabinetry and advertising to start a small décor business of their own. They spent the next two years testing ideas before jumping head first into the handmade décor market. Specializing in wall mounted and stand-alone numbers and letters, Ted and Ursula created East + Acland to bring you handmade, personalized products with a modern touch.
“The process behind making each individual letter and number is actually quite lengthy,” Ursula explained, “Each letter is shaped from the highest quality of wood and then edge sanded and key holed by Ted. Our letters are then hand sanded to ensure our signature ‘smooth as a baby’s bottom’ feel. We then examine each letter to ensure that any and all flaws have been removed, and get straight to work on applying primer. Once primed, the letters are then hand sanded again and are ready to receive their first of many coats of paint. We take great care in hand painting each order with a whisper of gratitude in between every layer. Each order truly is a labour of love!”
Ted and Ursula are such a strong husband and wife duo. This pair does it all together, working as a team and creating their pieces together makes their small business so special. From the beginning, when choosing their business name, it came down to representing the two of them equally. As they are in this journey together they both wanted to be equally represented within their business name. Ursula said, “We really wanted a name that best represented the two of us equally. Ted was actually the one who suggested that we choose the name of the street we grew up on and from there we merged East Ave and Acland Cresent into East + Acland!”
After successfully creating an attractive business name and diving into the business world, East + Acland was ready to market themselves. Instagram plays a huge role in the way that East + Acland has marketed and they are very blessed for the great community that they have established.
“Having been apart of the Instagram community for the better part of two years now, it was natural for us to start there. We have ‘met’ so many amazing and inspirational people who we have actually become very close to. We have received a truly overwhelming amount of support from our beloved community and we will continue to be eternally grateful to all who are apart of it, ” said Ursula.
Pinterest is also another clear and wise choice that East + Acland chose to market themselves, Ursula who is openly addicted to it, can easily advertise and enjoy every moment of it. Ursula shared, “There is nothing that makes our hearts as full as seeing someone pin one of our creations to their ‘wedding’ or ‘nursery’ board.”
Ted and Ursula have been wise with their marketing tactics, they realize that advertising is an extremely important tool to build a successful business and is best done, for them, at a pace that can be handled by a two-person shop. With this being said, they have well established themselves on both Instagram and Pinterest and are looking forward to launching a Facebook page before Christmas as they both feel they are ready to further promote East + Acland and gain additional exposure.
It goes without saying that running your own business brings new challenges along the way, however, Ted and Ursula have tackled the challenges and have grown to be that much stronger from them. “Starting a business has proven to be one of the most manic experiences of life. The highs are inconceivable, the lows are sometimes gut wrenching, and we wouldn’t change a thing about it! At the end of the day, nothing, aside from becoming parents, has brought us closer or made our marriage more stable than the instability of running our own business.” explained Ursula. “Our personal philosophy is ‘there are no problems, just challenges’ and together we will continue to accept each one as they come.”
The positive attitude that both Ursula and Ted posses is evident in the way they continue to successfully run their business. They know how to best support and encourage each other in the harder days and celebrate together in the rewarding days. Though their business is a high priority in their home, they have a healthy balance of work and family time, they share their role as parents equally to ensure that their beautiful daughter’s love tank is full at all times.
When I asked Ursula about any future plans for East and Acland she shared these words. “Though Ted and I have a list of goals at least a mile long, it is important for us to enjoy the ride as we grow. Being a home based business; it is best that we keep our family’s needs a top priority. We just recently launched our new line of wall mounted and stand alone numbers and are now gearing up for the addition of seasonal ‘ready-to-ship’ pieces for 2015. We are also focused on building a stronger presence in the wedding décor market. We have been working with some of the most amazing brides who have taken our pieces and repurposed them into the most clever wedding accents. One of our brides has decided to use her wall mounted ‘B’ as her guestbook, genius! With all that going on right now, we just know that the future is bright for East + Acland and we look forward to continuing to stand strong in the modern handmade décor market!”
