After the pandemic left married couple, Becky Rawlinson and Chris Mooney, and their new-born baby without financial support, the couple decided to take the leap and create their dream business.
Becky’s job in the third sector got defunded and as a barber, Chris was left without income too.
With Chris taking over childcare for their now one-year-old daughter, Becky dedicated herself to her plant delivery business Little Wilderness.
Becky added “I had already developed my business before Covid into doing doorstep deliveries because I didn’t have a shop.
“So as soon as we went into lockdown, I was ready to bring people the things they wanted to their door.”
Now, they are set to open a store, Tenement, inspired by the idea of tenements serving as “multiple dwellings for lots of different people”.
“We thought the Tenement is a shop which is home to more than one project – it is home to a plant shop, a barber shop and we wanted for people in the community to be able to use it as well.
“We didn’t want too much of a barbershop name or too much of a plant shop name.”
Not wanting to prioritise one of their businesses over the other, they thought up a concept that works for both of them.
The store on Battlefield Avenue 11 will be home to Chris’ barbershop on weekdays and will completely transform to accommodate a plant shop on Sundays.
Custom-build shelving will allow them to create walls and easily pack away the barbershop when needed.
Becky added: “You can browse and shop if you are getting a haircut but the plant shop will not open for the general public to buy plants at the time.
“One of the things Chris really cares about is that his barbershop clients get a bit of privacy when they are getting a haircut. He wants the focus to be on them getting a haircut without people walking in and out.”
The space will also be available for hire in the evenings and will create a fresh community space for the area.
The duo are currently in the process of renovating the unit and ensuring it lives up to their unique vision. However, the recent announcement that hairdressers can reopen from April 5 has pushed them to speed up their work.
The plant store will officially open later in the month in line with the Scottish Government’s coronavirus guidance.