Who is Lemon’s Loot - My thifty-hero origin story

Hearing the origin story of businesses has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. I love learning the journey people take and the hurdles they may face in the early stages of developing their brand. I thought, why not share my story.

My business, Lemon’s Loot, started in 2019, but we’d have to rewind two years before to explain how we got to this point. I was living in an apartment by myself. I was working at a local hotel, and on the side, I had a photography business named Red Lemon. Working two jobs to afford my apartment plunged me into financial despair. I hadn’t intended to live alone, but here I was. I had always lived with a friend or a partner, but somehow I found myself stretched thin and trying to manage things solo. So to make ends meet, I started selling my stuff on Facebook Marketplace.

I sold my home decor. I sold my clothing. I sold basically all of my personal items. Before long, my two-bedroom apartment looked like a hollow shell of my life. I was just trying to make a quick buck and pay my rent. The financial stress was constant and suffocating.

I didn’t make a lot at the hotel, and my photography business seemed impossible to grow because I was off at odd hours. To fuel my creativity, I still tried to squeeze in sessions whenever I could. I’d thrift fun props, unique wardrobe pieces, or quirky background items and ask friends to model for free. In hindsight, being broke but still splurging a little bit at the store to get that perfect aesthetic was the beginning of my venture into Lemon’s Loot. It started to feel like my thrifty-hero origin story was about to begin. My first mission? To save myself.

People would comment on my work, asking me where I found certain items and that kind of lit a lightbulb in my brain. I could source these aesthetic pieces and sell them like I was doing with my personal items. Maybe at that point, I’d feel a little bit better with the situation I was in. If you’ve never been in the position to sell off your personal effects, you may not understand that there comes a sort of heartbreak in the process of letting things go out of necessity as opposed to readiness for them to leave your space. I was in a really dark place, but you know what they say about the joy of retail therapy. It was definitely cheaper than actual therapy, even if I would have greatly benefited from that at the time!

I started to get traction on Marketplace and continued sourcing and selling into 2018. It was also a big year for me in my personal life. My relationship with my partner proceeded into the next phase, which allowed me to move out of the apartment and into my partner’s house. That stability lifted some of the weight I had been carrying alone. In April 2019, I picked Lemon’s Loot as a name for the new business I was creating to separate things from my photography business. I felt life was finally looking up!

Now, I don’t want you to think this was a completely positive transition. I was in a head management position at the hotel that nearly broke me. I faced new medical hurdles that ultimately made me lose my job at the hotel. I was slowly fading back into that pit of despair. But I kept going with the support of my partner.

Then came 2020. A global pandemic shut down my photography business as it wasn’t deemed a “necessary business” so I only had Lemon’s Loot to fall back on in terms of income. Thankfully for me, this industry was booming! Retail was allowed if we offered contactless pick up/drop off and I could manage this transition since I now had a porch. I was more determined now that this was my only source of income. I, like many, turned to e-commerce to grow my business as the mail post was still an essential service.

And so for the next 5 years, I grew my business into what it is today. My main and only income. I’ve sold thousands of items across multiple platforms, in person, through auctions and have had incredible experiences along the way. I’ve also learned many valuable life lessons owning this business.

I used to believe I was not a huge personal shopper, a collector or someone who needs items in their space. In fact, when I had my photography business, I used the slogan “collect memories, not things” which is ironic now because my business is focused on collecting things that have memories.

Meeting people and hearing the stories that we attach to tangible items has always fascinated me as someone who often keeps their memories in their mind or by taking a photo. The ability to connect items and memories grew on me. Instead of just looking at a photograph, I started looking at the objects behind the subjects. I started looking at what was in the space of my childhood photos and the photos of my parents and grandparents. When watching TV I was more interested in what was going on in the background to set the stage, and to make the era feel realistic. I took note of these things. I also saw what others enjoy in their space and the aesthetics of their homes and I leveraged that.

I began sourcing objects that I knew would fit into these spaces to continue the growth of my business. I started using the slogan “Finding you the best Loot”. Some may say that the best loot is pristine objects, they are high-end objects, they are rare or hard to find, but in my journey, I found that wasn’t always the case

The best loot is the objects that bring out memories and emotional impact. Those memories could be rooted in the years gone by or they could also be rooted in the memories you want to create. I find that there is a duality when it comes to shopping vintage and secondhand.

But what I’ve noticed in the last six months is I didn’t focus on a niche or a certain aesthetic. I was only focusing on getting a large amount of items in hopes that I could pass them on to someone else. I find that when you’re trying to access everyone’s nostalgia, you cast a wide net. In that process, you forget your own journey and your own wants and needs. I forgot why I started this business in the beginning. Maybe this reflection was sparked by having my son 6 months ago and the personal crisis that comes with motherhood. Things for me shifted - my identity, my time, my priorities, my goals.

I started this business with nothing. It was a necessity. When the entire world felt like it was shutting down, and all we had was what was around us, we leaned into the joy of our homes. I also leaned into that. Now that the world feels a little bit more open, I never went back. I find that instead of going out into the world, I spend hours doing inventory control, finding my next bulk buy, cleaning items, researching, photographing, listing and I’m just not experiencing life how I’d like to. I’m starting to feel I need a shift in my business.

Don’t get me wrong I still love the idea of finding objects that spark joy, and that make your space happy and inviting. These days I’m a little more focused on my own space. I don’t feel as scared for the future which has allowed me to brainstorm “what’s next?”. I guess I’m feeling a lot more grounded in my life and that’s brought up some big feelings.

With those feelings, I think about that girl who had nothing. I think about the struggle to make ends meet. I think about the weight of an empty space. I think of the ways she had to pivot with the challenges of life. How do I serve her in the current state of this business?

That brings me to the idea of helping others in their own business and inspiring others by sharing titbits of my lived experience.

Having an online blog, a sort of virtual diary to share my thoughts, felt natural. It’s a place I can come to share my experiences, my hard-earned lessons, my thrifty misadventures, and my business insights. An open invitation into my business venture, one that might actually help someone else feel less alone.

So whether you’re that person selling items out of necessity or you’re the person who is collecting items because they want to feel nostalgia or you’re that person who is trying to create a backup financial cushion, or simply curious about Lemon’s Loot - let’s connect.

I hope my story may share a little bit as to why I do what I do. I invite you all to subscribe because I’ll be sharing resources and guides, tips and tricks of the trade and other personal ramblings like this one!

Much Love,
Lemon (aka Ash)