At home with Abi

We visited our founder at her home in the picturesque and historic town of Ely in Cambridgeshire, to learn more about her and what inspires her at Love Lane.

Tell us how Love Lane By Abi started.

Prior to having children I worked in the fashion industry in London, for companies such as Oasis and Debenhams, as a Garment Technologist.  I loved the buzz of the industry meeting some really interesting people and being part of a team which designed and curated some great ranges.

Life then took a different path and I became a mum to my gorgeous children. Raising two small children though definitely changed the dynamics of life but also gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream of owning my own business, so Love Lane by Abi, (my third child!) was born.

We started to attend events and became a regular trader at the fab Ely Market, which gave us a great platform to grow the business. Fast-forward a couple of years and we took the leap into the wonderful world of brick and mortar retail, opening our shop in June 2023.

Why did you move from fashion to interiors?

Although I loved and still do love fashion, interiors has always been a major passion of mine, giving me the creative freedom I felt I was starting to lose from the fashion world.

Home styling has allowed me to be continually creative ensuring the home constantly evolves, supporting the ever-changing needs of a family.

For me there is no better feeling than to instantly transform a room by a simple new coat of paint or an injection of new accessories.

What is the best bit of establishing Love Lane by Abi?

Oh that is easy! There are two main things. One is definitely talking to our customers, understanding their style and then helping them create a room that they have previously only dreamt of.  We have met so many interesting and lovely people along the way, many of whom are now an important part of our lives.

Second is the sourcing of our ranges. As a self confessed shopaholic being able to source and curate a range and call it ‘work’ is brilliant. We source from so many places around the world and learn about their cultures, which is fascinating. We also love supporting local small businesses; there is nothing better than to watch a business and their confidence grow.

When you are not at work what do you love doing?

Spending time with my family is a major priority. I love having all my family around chatting, eating and seeing the kids all play together.

When not at home, being by the sea is my favourite place. For me there is nothing more calming than to lose yourself on a beach, listening to the sea. Definitely my happy place.

When at home, interior love is never far away. We bought a house at the end of 2022 that needs modernising from top to bottom so I am always planning the next project. My husband loves that, ha!

Talking about the home renovations, tell us more about what you are doing in your home.

In 2022 we moved into an ex-MOD house that had been left derelict for at least 10 years, so you can imagine the amount of work we have taken on.

We have come along a long way having knocked down walls, built walls in different places, replaced kitchens, bathrooms, carpets, painted walls, the list goes on. Check out our instagram account and our house developments will often feature.

We now have a large garden, probably more than we can handle!! So making it more manageable and enjoyable is the next major project. I am no Alan Titchmarsh so this could be interesting.

Last question, where do you see Love Lane by Abi in 5 years.

This is just the beginning! We have so many plans but our drive to offer stylish, high quality homewares at affordable prices will never change.

Community will always be important to us and we hope to be able to support small businesses more as our business grows.

Don’t discount seeing us pop up in different locations, ‘ Love Lane goes on tour!’ anyone?