Firstly, I would like to say how grateful I am to our community who have shown us continued support from the start. We would not be where we are today without your encouragement, custom and kindness. Although we are in a situation right now that we did not expect to find ourselves in, there is some comfort in the knowledge that we are not in this alone. 

As a very small business of just myself, one other full time member of staff and one part time, we are doing everything we can to try and survive. We would be devastated to lose the momentum we have built up over 2 and a half years of trading, so we have taken the decision to push through and try and find light to shine in these times of darkness. 

There are so many things outwith our control right now, that we are only focusing on those things that we can control. In light of current circumstances, we have taken the decision to prioritise our communication with our wider community above everything else.  Although we sell handbags, we like to to think of ourselves as doing more than just that. We regularly keep in touch with our community, whether it be meeting at events (prior to this situation) or online through our social media channels. 

This is why we have launched our Bags of Joy campaign. We wanted to create a safe space for people to share their moments of joy with others to help bring a smile to their face. These moments could be anything, from their friend sending them a thoughtful gift, to their child making them something artistic or just their dog doing something amusing! In times where it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, it is the small moments like these that are truly heartwarming. Our Facebook club page is already bursting full of happy moments which are making us smile each time we read them, and hope it is doing the same for others. 

In addition to this, it is hugely important to us to recognise the work of those on the front line. This is why each week, we will ask our community to nominate their favourite moment of joy. Whoever submitted the winning moment of joy, will then be asked to nominate a key worker to receive a beautifully curated Sarah Haran gift box, complimentary of us, with a personalised note inside from them. We will do this once a week for 12 weeks, and although in the grand scheme of things it seems tiny, we hope that it will at least bring some joy to some people who need it most. Anyone who purchases is also able to nominate a key worker to go into the weekly draw to be sent a Sarah Haran gift box. 

We have also launched our Bags of Joy Loyalty Club to reward customers as our way of saying 'thank you' for their support during this time. If a customer spends £525 with us between 01/04/20 and 30/06/20, they will be gifted a new season handbag on us. Whether someone is treating themselves or sending a loved one a gift in times of hardship, we hope that joy can be found from our handbags. We fully understand the current situation is difficult for people, so we are offering 10% off all purchases made towards this incentive, and have introduced Klarna pay to our website to help breakdown payments into manageable payments. 

We would like to welcome you to join our Bags of Joy Facebook group with open arms if you have not already done so. Keep the conversation going by tagging your #bagsofjoy moments and @sarahharanUK on Instagram and Facebook. Drop us an email hello@sarahharan.com or even give us a call on 01505 873599 - we love a good natter about anything and everything, handbags or not! 

Stay safe, stay home, save lives and share joy. 

Love, 

Sarah x