AURA QUE HASTINGS STORE

18-19 Robertson Street, Hastings, TN34 1HL

We have lots of goodies for you to browse, touch, try on, smell and enjoy. It’s amazing to have everything out on display - rather than just in boxes in a warehouse! We've used lots of recycled materials and furniture to decorate the space, hoping to create a spacious, homely and enjoyable shopping experience for our customers. So please do come and visit us if you can.

It has been a hectic few years at AQ HQ. Like everyone, our 2020 was dominated by the demands of the Coronavirus pandemic. Our wholesale business collapsed overnight. Travel to Nepal went out of the window. International freight and the postal and courier services upon which we depend were thrown into chaos - as were our small team who were home-schooling 8 children between them! We were forced to take strategic risks to try to protect the livelihoods of our artisans.

But something amazing happened: customers actively sought out and supported small businesses and their local high streets, helping AURA QUE and most of our stockists to survive those incredibly difficult times. We are truly thankful.

In 2021 we brought our warehousing back in-house. Our reasons for this included the ability to work towards more sustainable packaging; to provide a more personal service to our customers, such as optional gift wrapping; and to gain more control over dispatch deadlines and reuniting customers with any errant packages! Having survived our first Christmas back managing our own fulfilment after many years, 2022 brought the new opportunity - and challenge - of moving out of our separate studio and warehouse and moving EVERYTHING into one premises on the high street in Hastings. Somehow without disrupting the daily dispatch to our online customers.

In September 2022, we opened our Hastings high street store: a significant milestone in our ambitions to connect customers with the materials and traditional techniques that go into their products, and to the people that make them. Alongside the current AURA QUE collection, we will be introducing the work of other ethical designers with whom Laura has a connection. In the longer term, we hope to provide a bricks and mortar option for creative ethical Hastings entrepreneurs who wish to exhibit their work without the commitment of a premises. If you are local to Hastings and would like to hear about upcoming in-store craft workshops and events, please follow AURA QUE on social media.

Our team continues to change and grow, and Laura continues to strive for that elusive work-life balance!