One of the frequently asked questions at the Interior Design Show back in September was, “Who’s James?” so it feels appropriate for my first blog post for James Crossing, to be the write up I did for Naomi Sisson at Seed Home Designs. In this post I shared my journey to creating “James Crossing” as well as the inspiration for the name.
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I first “got involved” with fabric ten years ago when I took up making upholstered headboards for people. I loved wandering through the fabric stores feeling the different textures and dreaming about how I could put them together. It was around this same time that I started dreaming about having a store of my own. I knew said store would have something to do with decor and fabric but it generally felt like an impossibility at the time. I put those dreams away and instead got my diploma in interior decorating and opened a design business back in 2017.
Just over a year ago my dad died after a short and brutal fight with cancer. At the same time my husband lost his job due to Covid policies at work. My world was spinning and the only way I could push forward was to distract myself and dream big. My dad was a dreamer and an artist. He had big emotions and big ideas, traits I have inherited from him. My online shop, James Crossing, was born out of this combination of grief and loss, as well as a long-felt desire to have my own store.
I spent weeks shooting texts back and forth with my sister, trying to think of a name for the business which would honour our dad (Desmond James Price). I wanted his name in the title but I also wanted a name which would evoke a sense of place. ‘Crossing’ was actually our second choice but it worked on several different levels. A crossing is a location, a reference to our product crossing the ocean to get to us, and in a more metaphorical sense a reference to my dad’s passage from life to death as well as a change in direction of my own life.
The product I have chosen to sell brings me great delight, something that has been in short supply over the last year. I love to handle it, design with it, and share it with colleagues and home owners. It brings me joy knowing that every time I use it in my own projects or make a sale that I am supporting artists whom I have come to appreciate as individuals as well as craftspeople. I know that my dad would have had a wide range of opinions on the product from delight, to distaste, to amusement. I would have loved to share them with him and watch his varied reactions. I know some would have made him laugh.
My dad had always been one of the main cheer leaders of my interior design business. When I wanted to give up because it was hard and I was tired, he (along with my other cheer leader- my husband Steve) would encourage me to push forward. I always miss him and some days I could really use a “rah rah” from him. Starting a new business is difficult and expensive, and in the beginning progress can be painfully slow. But I do sense his pleasure. He would be tickled by having the business named after him. I can still imagine the feel of his proud embrace.
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And that’s how James Crossing was born! I’m Heather and I’m looking forward to taking you along on this blogging journey as I share with you about my product, my process, and the world of design.
