I've spent so much time in the past week reflecting on reaching our 2-Year Anniversary and the many hurdles it took to get here. I've previously shared the top reasons I started Wovenwood (read that blog here), but it occurred to me that I've never really shared why I chose to jump ship from a nearly 20-year career in event planning and open a homewares shop with, I might add, no real retail experience (unless you count the t-shirt shop I worked in when I was 16!).
The journey actually began way back in 2020 when we all found ourselves confined to our homes, homeschooling kids and trying to make sense of the new reality we found ourselves in. California took a very conservative approach to the pandemic and when it was all said and done, our kids were out of schools for 18 months. 18 months home with a 3, 6, and 9-year old. And while many jobs simply adapted to endless zoom calls, events and subsequently my events company (which I was the principal of), literally shutdown overnight. I had 25 events booked in April 2020 and then poof, right in the thick of planning, every single one was cancelled. Even now, it's hard for me to fathom just how jarring that severe pivot was, but of course we were all so consumed with the then-unknown virus that I don't think I really processed what a shock to the system the sudden change was.
What I do remember clearly is how I desperately needed an outlet.
Without work, I found myself seeking a project. Now, this was not unusual. I have always been obsessed with having something to plan (um, duh that's why I became an event planner) but now I suddenly actually had the time to put my ideas to work and take action. Pinterest and I are pretty much attached at the hip and while some people love to pin fashion and recipes and goodness knows what else, my boards are ALL homes...like literally, I don't think I have ever pinned something that was not related to interiors. So, I just turned to said boards, had a think about which ideas I thought I was capable of executing, and started a haphazard journey in the world of building.
In 18 months I renovated bathrooms, bedrooms, a laundry, a playroom, built furniture, created artwork - you name it, I did it. Somewhere early in the journey a friend said I should document it all on Instagram, so I coined myself @TracytheTradie, and as they say, the rest is history. If I am honest, it may have been the most fun, most rewarding 18 months of my life. I bought every saw in existence, I wielded a nail gun like a pro and I had no distractions since life in general was on hold and events were still a no-go.
About 6 months into our altered reality, we started exploring the idea of moving back to Australia to be near family (we had previously lived in Sydney 15 years prior).
Once we finally settled in Brisbane in early 2022, I found myself at a bit of a crossroads. I’d had this incredible creative awakening during those 18 months as Tracy the Tradie. It had been my crash course in design, building, and the satisfaction of making a space feel intentional, and I loved every minute. But at the same time, I was also closing the chapter on a career in events that had defined me for nearly two decades. The question became: what do I want this next chapter to look like?
I knew I didn’t want to go back to events, and I also knew that while I loved the DIY side of things, it wasn’t something I could realistically turn into a career, at least not one that was sustainable or remotely lucrative. What I had discovered, though, was that my passion wasn’t so much about the building itself (although I do still love that part), but about the bigger picture, the overall process of transforming a space one layer at a time to create a treasured space.
In those first six months in Australia, when I wasn’t able to work, I gave myself permission to fully lean into my love of interiors and design, trusting that the right opportunity would eventually reveal itself. I even looked into buying an existing homewares business, but it quickly became clear that what I envisioned couldn’t be found in something already established. I became obsessed with building something different, something that reflected my own California-influenced perspective and passion.
That’s where the seed of Wovenwood was planted. I wanted to create a space that reflected my love of American-inspired design while offering timeless, well-made pieces for others who were looking to create homes that felt warm, lived-in, and personal. Opening a shop may not have been the obvious choice (remember, zero retail experience here), but it felt like the most natural progression of everything I had been building toward without even realising it.
So here we are—two years into this little experiment. I won’t pretend it’s always been easy (2025 in particular has been a bit of a doozy), but I absolutely adore what we’ve created: the shop, the community that’s gathered around it, and the passion we all share for the Wovenwood style of interiors. Some days it truly feels like we’re our own little club, and I feel so honoured to be part of it.
Whether you’ve been here since the very beginning or only just discovered us, thank you - for your messages, your comments, your votes in polls, your purchases, and most of all, your encouragement. I love you all dearly, and I can’t wait to see what year three has in store for us!
