Good Things is a newly launched e-commerce site founded on the principle that good things take time. When New Zealand-born, Sydney-based Mims Radford first moved to Australia she was adamant to furnish her home only with furniture and objects she really needed, and those pieces needed to be durable functionally, and timeless aesthetically.
This was a slow process, but also a rewarding one. Not only has she stuck to her moral guns, but she also caught the entrepreneurial spirit along the way. Good Things is a curated collection of pieces that will are designed to last, from companies that share Mims’ values.
Habitus recently spoke to Mims to learn more about where she came from, what she’s doing, and where she hopes we are all going.
Tell us about your professional background, what has your path been up to now?
After getting a degree in graphic design, I took a role at one of New Zealand’s largest e-commerce fashion companies, and pretty quickly realized I’d jumped straight into the deep end of fast fashion. It was so confronting to see the impact this industry was having on our planet, people, and our pockets.
Fast forward a few years, I’m moving to Sydney and looking for a job that will take me out of fast fashion. I start reaching out to some of my favorite local sustainable businesses, and before I know it I’m working with them all as a designer, content creator, and social advertising strategist. I’d finally found my sweet spot – helping brands who are doing good in the world, grow.
When and why did you start Good Things?
Setting up a home for the first time here in Sydney was a real catalyst moment for me. You’re forced to make so many decisions as a consumer, so quickly, and I decided to be really conscious and mindful about those decisions. Sure, heading down to my local Kmart might have seemed easier and quicker, but that ease and speed comes at such a high cost, and it wasn’t one I was willing to pay.
Good Things is honestly the store I wished I’d had in that moment. A curated place, filled with beautiful things, where anyone can shop mindfully.
You’ve mentioned previously you’re personally big on voting with your dollar and supporting local designers and makers. How do you envision Good Things to spread that message? Are you after only conscious consumers or are you hoping to overtly or covertly convert unconscious consumers too?
Every time we buy something from a brand we’re saying ‘Hi there, please make more of this stuff’! I saw it every day when working in the fast fashion industry – companies only make this stuff if they think you’ll buy it. All I want to do with Good Things is make it easier for consumers to say yes to slower, kinder, more sustainable things. There are so many incredible businesses out there making this stuff, my focus is simply on making it easier for people to buy something from them, and as a result step out of that frenetic cycle of consumerism.
Some people buy things from Good Things because they’re sustainable, others simply because they’re beautiful, durable, or just really bloody useful. Whatever their reason for shopping with me, the impact is the same.
We recognize some friends of Habitus through your product catalogue, what type of brands are you looking to work with and what would be your non-negotiables?
I have been so blessed to have many brilliant local brands believe in my little business, and Good Things wouldn’t be possible without that belief. For a brand to end up in our store it must meet at least one of our six Good values. Most of the brands we work with meet more than one, which we love.
Who is your consumer and what are they looking for?
Our consumers want well-made things that are around for the long haul. They value homewares that are handcrafted, locally made, and find real joy in buying quality over quantity. When they shop with us they do so mindfully and carefully, which I love!
What do you hope your user/consumer experience will be?
I never want to make our customers feel like they need more, because the very best thing we can do for our planet is consume less, not more. My hope is that our customers only come to us when they have a real need that we can meet, and when they do buy something from us they find joy not just in the thing they’re buying, but also the knowledge that it’s good for our planet and its people.
If you could achieve just one thing with Good Things Store what would that be?
It would bring me so much joy to see our fast world tilt towards kinder, slower, better ways of consuming. We are starting to see glimpses of it, but it still feels like a bandwagon to jump on, rather than the norm.
I know we can’t change the whole world, but I totally believe as consumers the power is in our hands, and if I can change the way a consumer buys just one thing through Good Things, that’s a vote for change.
Good Things Store
goodthingsstore.com.au
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