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Every big dream has a beginning. Ours started with a tiny kiosk, a leap of faith and a whole lot of determination.
A new country. A new beginning.
Back in 2013, we packed up our lives in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa, and moved across the world to Perth, Australia.
Coming from an entrepreneurial family, I've always loved the idea of building something of my own.But moving to a new country meant starting again. New surroundings, new opportunities and a whole lot to learn.
I spent my first few years working in retail, getting to know the Australian market and slowly finding my feet.But somewhere in the back of my mind, there was always that little voice saying,
What if you created something of your own?
And eventually, I decided to listen.
I still remember walking into one of our local shopping centres to ask whether they had space for a little business idea I'd been dreaming about.
That one conversation planted the seed for Nicci + Lu.
Not long afterwards, our very first kiosk was born.And when I say little, I mean little!But goodness, she was beautiful.I poured so much love into creating a space that felt different. Every tiny detail mattered to me.In fact, so many customers assumed we were a European brand, which I secretly wore as a little feather in my cap!
It wasn't a big store or an established business.It was simply a beginning.And it was mine.
When I look back on those early days, I don't just remember the beautiful kiosk.
I remember the tears, the laughter and the days I wondered what on earth I'd gotten myself into.I remember celebrating the smallest victories.The first customers. The returning faces. The orders that made me smile.There were days when everything felt possible and days when I questioned whether I was cut out for this journey.But slowly, one little step at a time, something began to grow.And without even realising it, that tiny kiosk was putting down the roots of a much bigger dream.
Over the years, Nicci + Lu has changed in more ways than I could have imagined.
We've opened beautiful retail stores, celebrated milestones, faced challenges and made some incredibly difficult decisions.One of those decisions was closing our physical stores and taking the business online.
It wasn't easy walking away from something I'd spent years building.
But sometimes, growth looks different from what we imagined.Sometimes it means letting go of one dream to make room for another.And that's exactly what happened.As the business evolved, I began to realise that I didn't simply want to create beautiful products.
I wanted to create something that meant something.
Something that would become part of a child's story.
Today, Nicci + Lu is a little world of dolls, thoughtfully designed doll clothing and accessories, created with childhood in mind.
It's about the little girl carefully choosing an outfit for her favourite doll.
The imaginary tea parties on the bedroom floor.The tiny shoes that must come along on every adventure.The bedtime routines, the pretend shopping trips and the little conversations between a child and her tiny best friend.It's about the moments that seem so ordinary today but may become some of their most treasured childhood memories.
That's the magic I want Nicci + Lu to be part of.
Made to be loved, passed down and remembered.
Sometimes I wish I could go back and tell the younger version of myself, standing in that tiny kiosk, just how much was waiting ahead.
I'd tell her there would be difficult days.
That things wouldn't always go according to plan.
That she'd have to be brave enough to start over more than once.
But I'd also tell her to keep going.
Because the dream would change, grow and become something far more meaningful than she could have imagined.
I still get excited when a new product arrives.I still appreciate every single order.And I still feel incredibly grateful when someone chooses something from Nicci + Lu for a child they love.
So whether you've been part of our journey since those little kiosk days or have only just discovered us, thank you.
Thank you for supporting a small business, for believing in what we create and for allowing our little brand to become part of your family's story.
The little kiosk may be gone, but the dream is bigger than ever.
With love,
Nicci xx 🤍
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