Melis and Melda of House No.23 are looking forward to 2023, a year that will be filled with exciting new ventures, countless successes, and expansive growth. Not to mention, it’s their golden year: the year listed in the textile company’s very own namesake! In order to move forward with a full appreciation of the journey it took to get them here, the two sisters want to look back on a momentous 2022.

How It Started

While the last few years for retail have been murky due to an ongoing pandemic that has threatened the supply chain as well as any consistency of in-store visits, global ecommerce sales are continuing to rise as consumers flock more and more toward online shopping. House No.23 used the last year to solidify a business model that relies on embracing change:

 

“We are changing every year. We think it’s very important to adopt a change, try new things and explore more opportunities in business. We continue to grow every year, discover our brand more and more and be open to challenges that lead us to take a new step. We are a homeware textile company, but we are so thrilled to carry a curated roster of visionary brands and makers on our website. We expanded our online presence. We really focused and developed our website during the pandemic and are still improving to serve the best shopping experience for our online visitors.”

 

House No.23 attended many home & decor shows over the last year, making it difficult to favorites, but some of them did shine brighter than the rest:

 

“We love debuting our new collection every year at different shows such as Shoppe Object, a curated home and gift market in New York with products from over 450 vendors and America’s Mart  in Atlanta, and the Las Vegas Home & Show. Through these experiences we get to run into our current buyers and meet new buyers as well as connect more with our sales team. We loved meeting so many direct consumers at the West Coast Craft in San Francisco. By attending those shows, we always have a great opportunity to get direct feedback from our buyers and have a great chance to listen to them and adjust our new additions to our upcoming collection.”

 

Understanding that they would have such a busy year ahead of them, Melis and Melda took time to nourish the parts of themselves that help make their small business successful: time with family, traveling, and a sense of curiosity and wonder:

 

“We take family nature trips every year. In 2022, we made a road trip to Russian River, Marshall, Sea Ranch, and the Sonoma Coast. From spectacular coastal views at Sea Ranch, to the magnificence of Mother Nature on the Sonoma Coast, to the towering redwoods of the Pacific, we found this trip to be as inspiring as it was beautiful. Not to mention, we devoured plenty of delicious seafood!”

How It’s Going

With 2022 off to a wondrous start, House No.23 indulged their direct consumers with surprising new products, one of which made its way to a very famous list—Oprah Winfrey’s Favorite Things of 2022.

 

“Our newly launched Alaia Sherpa Throw landed on Oprah’s Favorite Things of 2022 list. The exposure revved us up for the holiday season and was more successful than we could ever imagine. Our online traffic spiked tremendously with many shoppers exploring all of the products on our site.”

 

Other new products include the Alaia Duvet Set and Alaia Napkins which is an exclusive collaboration between Food 52 and House No.23. The small business would not have been able to pull off these successful launches without the help of their team and the community around them:

 

“We never feel alone as small business owners because we have the support network. We have friends who also lead and operate small businesses, allowing us to share each other’s challenges and successes and support each other. We would also not be complete without our great team. We understand that we can’t do everything—it would be overwhelming and take all the energy from our creativity and vision. We feel comfortable asking for help, as should any small business owner. Finding your niche market and sticking with it alongside a strong team leads to a path of success. We try to continue innovating around our niche.”

 

As for 2023, House No.23 is optimistic about and thrilled to see what this year will bring them. This last year taught them that if they want their business to grow, it’s important to fully invest in it. That means growing the collection, expanding their website, and adding to their workforce.

 

“We are eager for even more growth in 2023. Our goal is to grow our workforce in order to meet our anticipated increase in demand. H23 is expanding into new categories like bathmats and new loungewear, as well as adding to existing categories. We’re planning to double the size of the business in 2023, primarily through growth in the e-commerce and wholesale platform.”

 

Spending money to elevate the H23 brand and growing their team allowed the company to achieve all their dreams for 2022 in a smooth and efficient manner. Melis and Melda are ready to take on 2023, the company’s golden year, with the same level of exuberance and dedication that has fueled all their success thus far. Bring on the new year!