Helo! Hello! Croseo! Welcome!
I hope you’ve been enjoying the sunnier spell we’ve been having recently, here in Mach it’s been beautiful, the right amount of sunshine but not too scorching (though I have been keeping an eye on the Hostsa plants outside the shop which have been super thirsty these past few days!)
Anyhoo, onto a subject I wanted to share with you: a question I get asked on numerous occasions throughout the week and on a numerous amount of subjects too… But with this being my first Blog post (first of many I hope), maybe I ought to introduce myself properly! I’m Rachel, the owner of Gweni Gwyllt (Wild Smile in Cymraeg, but also Gweni being my motherships name!)
I’m an Aberystwyth gal, Ceredigion born and bred, but now I find myself a very happy resident of Gwynedd! After 20 years spent studying in Caerdydd / Cardiff & then establishing a Bridal Boutique in Penarth championing handmade wedding dresses & separates by Welsh Designers for ten years I packed my passport in 2022 and spent just shy of two years travelling the world… asking myself ‘where do I want to live?’ Nepal? India? Sri Lanka? Australia? Ohhh, I think I could live the Alps? Oh hang on, I think I love Japan?… But it’s safe to say, I couldn’t fight it any longer, my Hiraeth was calling, the mountains of Cymru were drawing me back, but not just the landscape, but the sense of community too… and where better to call home than Machynlleth! A town full of cultural history, indie businesses, weekly markets, an incredible creative arts & music scene and where everyone is so welcoming and inclusive… 6months after moving here the stars aligned and I followed my dream of opening up a shop championing ethical & sustainable daywear from British Designers…and the rest ‘they say’ is ‘history’… and here we are, typing this whilst sat in the shop surrounded by handcfrated collections from 12 female founded British designers!
Now onto the question that I originally started this Blog post to answer, which is: ‘Pam/ Why?’
Why bother establishing a business when the cost of living is so high?
Why bother supporting British Designers when mass produced fast fashion dominates?!
Why care about the ethics & sustainability when it’s cheaper to import from abroad?
It’s a very simple answer from me: ‘Because I can’t live with the thought of ‘what if I don't do it?’’
The one thing we have power over is where we vote with our money, I’m passionate that we vote for what we believe in, we vote for the world we want to be part of, we vote for the indie businesses over huge corporations, we vote for female founded business, we vote for creatives over AI, we vote for small coffee shops rather than chains that only care about turn over, we vote for fair pay, for transparency, for stopping green washing, for ending the throw away culture!
I’d like to do a separate blog post all about sustainability what what exactly it means in the future, but for now i’ll wrap this one up with reiterating a my answer, which can be applied to so many aspects of life: ‘what if I don’t do it?’ - and i’m so grateful I have opened Gweni Gwyllt, this first month has been incredible and it fills my heart seeing how many people are equally as passionate about supporting our creative industry…Diolch o galon / thank you Machynlleth - you’re a truly special place.
Tan tro nesa, until next time,
Rx
*When i’m not in the shop you’ll find me either embracing the mud and running along the trails, eating endless amounts of pastry goods, sipping a cherished cup of coffee, pottering on the allotment (with no clue what i’m doing but getting very excited when a tomato makes an appearance and hasn’t consumed by the cheeky jack daws!) Hiking with Nansi (the spaniel) or at the numerous open mic nights in the area with my partner who is a talented luthier & guitar builder!