About Us
Welcome to Spelled - your go-to shop for all things personalised.
We're all about celebrating the little and the big things in life. We do that with personalised gifts and décor for you, your home, your celebrations, milestones and of course the holidays. All spelled your way and made with love!
We're a small business in Aotearoa New Zealand, making our products in our Dunedin workshop.
The team
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Hannah
Spelled is my baby! The products, the brand, the website, the marketing, customer service - that’s all me. I live and breathe Spelled (when I’m not at my day job, spending time with whānau or getting distracted by another craft).
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Myron
My partner in life and in the business! He takes on the messy and noisy job of processing and making orders. When he’s not at his day job or working on Spelled, he’s working on our house and garden.
Background story
It's a long one!
I don’t know what it is about personalised items but ever since I was little I’ve loved anything that could proudly display my name. I had a pretty common name in the 90s - Hannah - once even having two or three other Hannahs in my class. But even still, I always felt excited when I’d find a notebook or a keychain with my name on it. My younger sister had a less common name - Isabella - so would sometimes struggle to find the matching item with her own name. My older sister had an even rarer name - Heidi - so would usually be out of luck. We also have a very unique last name and middle names. So I think I was just always aware of personalised items. If something came with a personalisation option - like the bag my mom got me as a graduation gift - I was quick to take up the offer.
Fast forward to my 30s and my partner and I had recently moved into a new home in a new town. We’d often thought about getting a laser cutter - he’s an engineer who likes to tinker and I’m a digital marketer and avid crafter who loves to learn new technologies and skills. One day the perfect machine popped up in a Facebook group so we rented a truck, drove 700km in one day, struggled greatly moving the half-tonne machine and were finally arrived home with our new purchase.
For months we tinkered with it, getting the settings just right, learning its quirks and learning many a new software. We’ve always wanted to start a business but never quite knew what but now decided it would have something to do with our new (to us) much-loved laser cutter. But what would we make?
Then my niece was born - with a name as beautiful as hers she needed a sign for her room. And a baby’s first Christmas ornament for not just her but all her baby friends!
That’s when it clicked! We’d start a business selling personalised products - name signs for kids’ rooms, Christmas ornaments, stocking tags, baby announcements, cake toppers and more. If you can name it, we’ll make it!
We’ve spent the last couple of years perfecting our designs, testing materials developing our brand. There have been a few job changes and another move (to the South Island!) amongst our prep. And now we’re finally launched!
We’re starting with laser cut goods but who knows where we’ll go next?! As long as it’s personalised, I’m sure it’ll be on our list.