Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Robinson.
Hi Jenny, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
A little booth in the Romantic Farmhouse in Augusta, GA, that’s where the August House started. It was a small beginning, and everything about it was hard, but oh, so precious. I was a stay-at-home mom of four kids and this was the answer to years of prayer for the perfect creative outlet for me and the kids. I can remember the moment I stepped out in faith to activate all those ideas floating around in my head. When we moved, God started providing, in really neat ways. The kids and I got busy; we all worked odd jobs on the side for the little bits of money we needed. We gathered and used every bit of knowledge we had. We shopped estate sales, yard sales, road-side stands, humbly accepted donations, you name it; and we up-cycled just about anything we could get our hands on.
It was such a small beginning. Only a few months in, I began getting discouraged. All the hard work, coupled with no profit, and the stress of juggling housework, errands, church, work, homeschooling and recovering from some recent surgeries, was just plain hard. Our only payment was the satisfaction of seeing people love and enjoy the products we put so much love into. “Your interests are divided.” It was loud and clear. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made:
I quit.
For the first time in my life, I quit something. I felt like a failure. But little did I know, quitting had a much bigger purpose.
“Don’t despise the small beginnings.”
A few years later it was time for my girls to graduate. College wasn’t a good fit and that little booth had stirred a passion for art, creating beautiful things, and decorating, that wouldn’t go away. I can remember us sitting around the living room in the evenings with a notebook and dreaming of a store. We’d dream about what we wanted to sell and why we wanted to sell it. We wanted everything to have a purpose. We spent countless hours researching how to make it all happen.
The girls saved every penny from odd jobs. We visited nearby towns. We watched and considered how and why businesses thrived or failed. We asked business owners how they did it. We searched out places for a shop and talked to people in high places. That’s when the little town of Edgefield caught our attention, the place where I had spent 12 years in nursing. The saying about Edgefield is true: “It feels different here because it is different here.” Life is slower, quieter, and sweeter. The countryside is breathtaking. The people are friendly. It’s rich in history; everywhere you turn is a new story, either written on a wall or told by elders on the street. Edgefield was and still is a perfect fit.
Who are We?
Creative. Raw. Refined: This is a big part of our foundation.
Creative: We love anything to do with the arts. All the girls are really good at art with paper: watercolor, acrylics, lettering, sketching flowers. But we also enjoy crocheting, knitting, crafting, sewing, fresh and faux flowers, woodworking, and even decorating and organizing. I’m laughing thinking of all the “Pinterest fail” moments we’ve had trying all the crafty things! Overall, our heart is in creating so we’re constantly trying new things, and sharing them with our customers through workshops!
Raw: Well, what you see with us is what you get, and when you get to know us, you’ll find that everything about us is pretty real and raw…. in a good way. We’re a family-run business. So, there might be times you’ll catch the raw side of us! It’s real, you’ll catch the kids yelling at each other or Mama giving a lecture, but despite all of this there’s a nice, solid foundation of Love between us all. And honestly, our love for each other is why we’re still thriving.
Refined: Well, yea, we’re constantly being refined. Aren’t we all?! We’re constantly refining our esthetic, our space, our product, and ourselves!
Why the name August House? People ask us all the time.
August House. We decided we liked the name so we looked up meaning and it fits so perfectly. August: spiritually, it’s known as a month of new beginnings; it means respected and impressive. We certainly hope to live up to that name. House: well, obviously a dwelling, a place to gather, a place of realness, a place of rest and refuge after a long day of work, a home, a place to decorate and make your own cozy hygge type place. And we hope it’s all that too.
There have been plenty of challenges and struggles.
It hasn’t been easy. When you’re low on money you’re forced to get creative, roll up your sleeves and work hard for the things you want! And hard work comes without some ugly words, shed tears, bumps, and bruises, and lots of mistakes to work through!
When we moved to town, Edgefield had a much slower, quieter demeanor. Despite that ‘slowness’ we were determined to persevere. In the beginning, the girls had to work lots of odd jobs to keep the August House afloat. It. Was. Hard. We had dreams of certain products we wanted to carry. We had dreams of creating more things, like pottery. We had dreams of more space. There were workshops we wanted to host. There were bigger things we wanted to do.
I can remember several times we needed rent money but didn’t have it but by the Grace of God, every need was always provided (and still is)! Covid hit too soon after we started. People, even in our small town, we’re afraid to get out. Covid spread several times throughout the community. And though we only had to close for several weeks, we were determined to persevere as long as we could. We mentally prepared our hearts and minds, thinking that we might have to close for good. We posted a lot on social media, we got creative and put everything we could neatly in the windows so people could window shop, literally. We made craft packages that customers could buy and do at home. We met people in the streets. We delivered to their front doors. We prayed, a lot. And every single need was met, every single time. Along with the community, God showed up and we persevered.
Here’s one particular time I remember well: It had been such a slow month and rent was due the next day. We needed $500. Not one customer had been in that day. It was almost closing time. I was sitting on a bench in the shop. I was anxious. So, I picked up my knitting. You know, knitting’s good for anxiety?! “Be still and know that I Am God.” It was clear as day. But I WAS still, so I kept knitting. “Be still,” again, I felt it in my spirit. So, I put the knitting on my lap and started praying. “Be still And quiet and know that I am God.” What?! Not even pray?! “Ok,” I said aloud, “I trust you”. So, I just sat there, still and quiet. It was awkward. But literally, minutes later, God brought what we needed. A vehicle pulled up in front of our building. A beautiful lady gets out, Michelle. My heart jumped. But she heads to the other side of her car as if she’s going to the real place next to us. so, my heart sank. I wanted to cry. But she gets her purse from the passenger side and then makes her way to our door. She was new to the shop, so we introduced ourselves. 1-2 minutes into our conversation she says she wants the antique bench in the window for an upcoming wedding. It was $550, enough for the rent we owed that next day. We were humbled and we’ve been humbled even more since then.
Fast forward to 2022.
We’ve made some really good friends. All my girls have found their soul mates and my youngest is enjoying learning the ins and outs of business. We’ve seen the town grow tremendously. And we’ve witnessed so many answers to prayer, like that list of things we made in the living room years ago. We’re selling more than that stuff now. We have breathing room and room for creating things. We have a huge pottery kiln and workshop tables where we get to teach our favorite crafts. We’ve arranged beautiful wedding bouquets and stunning centerpieces. We’ve painted furniture. We’ve water-colored beautiful wall art. We’ve woven macramé plant hangers, wall hangings, and ornaments. We’ve hand-built our own pottery. We’ve made signs and cards and heat-pressed words on pillows and tea towels and onesies and such. We’ve made bath bombs and scrub and even made from. We’ve even begun scooping and getting creative with ice cream!
We’ve done so much, yet, I think there’s still so much more we’re yet to do here. There are more products on our wish list. There’s infinitely more to create. There’s more to be shared and more friends to be made.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Aesthetic. We’re probably best known for the hygge feel when you walk in the shop. The atmosphere we strive for is peaceful and inspiring. When you walk into the store, you’ll notice everything is neutral and natural. Our customers love it. We’ve been told over and over not to change it.
Pottery. Edgefield is rich in pottery history. The pottery community has been a great help in our learning process. I hear you don’t get that kind of support in most towns, so I’m proud of Edgefield and the people here. We’ve been perfecting our skills since we’ve been in business; we love creating one-of-a-kind pieces by hand, not the wheel, and glazing in a creamy white is pretty much our signature on each piece we create.
Workshops. We love teaching the things we’ve learned along the way and would love to keep encouraging the ‘arts’ as much as we can. If people come in and don’t buy a thing but they take away inspiration, then we’re happy with that.
Apparel. We never dreamed we’d sell apparel. It was by chance and customer requests that we got into selling clothes and accessories. Our customers love the classy neutral basics we carry.
Ice cream. we never planned on ice cream either. But the new space we moved into last year had everything already set up and the town hoped we’d keep it going. So, we did. They love it, and we love serving ice cream and getting creative with it!
I’m most proud of the Love between us here, ’cause 99% of the time it’s just us family here and you know how hard it can be working with family. But our love is strong and forgiving. It always, at the end of hard stuff, winds up being patient and kind. It doesn’t bring up past mistakes and doesn’t keep records of wrongs. It’s helped us persevere through so much.
How do you define success?
Success: I’d define it as perseverance.
It’s like a house in August: it’s foundation is solid, rooted in Hope and sustained by Grace. It gets an unmerited opportunity for new beginnings, over and over. Hardships only make it stronger; every tear, every sorrow, every hurt, every blister and drop of blood becomes valuable, they make Hope stronger and Grace more evident. JOY that awaits those who are patient to receive it. Success is certainly impressive. Success is respected.
Contact Info:
- Website: augustandhouse.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/augustandhouse
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/augustandhouse
