I'm not sure where the time has gone, but WithAPast was launched, very softly, just about three years ago. No longer a start-up really. While the business was registered and this website was launched in January, 2015, the planning and organizing began much earlier, in 2014.
This venture was based on the very simple idea that there is value and much life left in many of the things we acquire and collect over the years. Particularly true when those items were created or manufactured with quality materials and workmanship. The challenge though is matching those quality items with someone who is looking for that particular item. Which is where an online store comes in. The entire world is your customer base.
There is a flexibility in online retail that brick and mortar stores simply don't have. Low overhead costs allow an online retailer to stock many different products to test the market. WithAPast has ventured into the sale of many different products that I would not have anticipated when I started three years ago. I expect to focus on fewer overall product categories in the next few years, now that I have a good amount of data on what customers and potential customers are looking for.
The amount of time that goes into each and every listed item on the site would likely surprise you. I know it continues to surprise me! That time spent on product research and listings, along with site optimization and ongoing maintenance is at least in part, my excuse for not updating this Blog more frequently. I'm hoping to dedicate a bit more time in future to updating more regularly. We'll see how that goes.
For now though, I'm taking this three year benchmark as an opportunity to thank those customers who have supported WithAPast these first three years. I hope we will continue to be of service over the next three. Thank you!
Pauline
WithAPast