About Shian and the Nest

I thought it would be useful to pen a little about 'me' to help you decide whether you'd like to buy from Naughtipidgins Nest...I have unfailing passion for bags!

Second only, (now,) to the love for my family (that's my hubbie behind me in the photo,) my obsession with leather goods began over 30 years ago when I worked on Bond Street for a large retail company. I was in the Finance Department but that didn't stop me immersing myself in all the glorious wares and attending every sample sale going!

Many of my friends were Buyers so they had first views of all the latest bags and often came back from trips with lots of lovelies that made their way to my wardrobe. Having the run of Oxford Street and Bond Street on my doorstep each lunchtime didn't help my addiction either and having no dependants or reasons to save, my collection soon ran into epic proportions.

It also began a lifelong obsession with Authenticity and I revelled in learning every aspect of Designers individuality, intrigued by each Brands variations and fascinated by craftsmanship.

Then, with the arrival of our daughter and subsequent desire to downsize our lives, we moved North, to the edge of the Lake District, where it really is quite idyllic. Initially as a stay-at-home home mum with occasional time on my hands I came across ebay which I thought was the perfect way to recycle those items I just didn’t use anymore and create a little extra income, (after all Louboutins on cobbles is a sure fire way to break your ankle and cocktail parties are a lot less frequent here!)

So in July 2005 I began listing from my collection under the ebay ID of 'NaughtipidginsNest' and really began to enjoy meeting people who shared my tastes. Soon, I was receiving emails from lots of fellow bag-lovers asking me to sell their items for them and it all really went from there.....

When my daughter started school I also started my own Management Consultancy business delivering efficiency savings and process improvements to SMEs so divided my time between my 'day-job' and the Nest, though always tipping the work-life balance in the favour of family, (or at least trying to!)

But after 5 years of part time selling on ebay, the ever increasing fees and more frequent instances of non-payment encouraged me seek an alternate arena and so I created this website to make life easier to me and to pass on the savings to you. 

Now, over20 years later, its been a roaring success! I've increased the business to a level where I've happily been able to leave the 'day-job' behind and can devote my working time 24/7 to the Nest, (and it really is a full time job!). The company moved from a Sole Trader to Limited Company in Jan 2013 and I've never looked back!

The Nest is, and always will be, a small business, (it's only me.......though my husband is a godsend when its really busy!) The upsides are that I can keep my costs low and provide a high-quality, personal service at extremely competitive prices with the only down side being that you may find my store is periodically 'Closed'.

This ensures I maintain a happy work-life balance and also that my turnover doesn't exceed the threshold at which I would have to charge VAT, (which would be significant both for my business and my Buyers).

Thanks for reading,

Shian x