Hi, I’m Haylee, the owner of Cassie’s Workshop.
Thinking back to my childhood and teens, mum and I were always busy with various projects from birthday invites in calligraphy to upholstered mirrors and photo albums to baking cakes. I had an eye for detail, precision and always worked well with my hands. This fizzled out in high school where my focus was on my music. I played flute and tenor saxophone for several years and even considered a career in it at one point.
Moving to a small town in my mid-30's is where I rediscovered the joy of creating. I met a woman who had turned furniture and house flipping into a successful business. She ignited a spark in me, a long dormant love, for creating things of beauty. I was deeply curious, soaking up all the info and advice I could. With her guidance I worked on a few small projects of my own. It was deeply satisfying! She gave me the courage to step out and try different pieces. It began with a wooden headboard, then a heavily padded and upholstered room divider, a large mirror, a small bench and a self designed wine rack from palette wood and heavy glass. I was seriously hooked!
There was a turning point when I realised I was more excited to go home and work on a project than I was to be at work. In that moment I knew a change was coming.
Fast forward a few months I had left a full-time position in hotel management and was absorbing as much info regarding paint techniques and business from all over. Back then, there weren't many people doing what I do so information was limited. Furniture painting was left to the fine artists and interior decorators. Those doing this full-time were very closed off and unwilling to share anything! Lucky me, I found the most incredible woman in Pretoria who offered courses, Laetitia Viljoen. While I couldn’t travel to Pretoria, I learned as much from Laetitia as possible. She was SO generous and shared her experiences and wealth of knowledge openly . She quickly became my mentor and friend, holding my hand as and when needed.
In April 2015, Cassie’s Workshop was born. Cassie, the inspiration for the business name, was my Jack Russell, my constant companion, loyal to me only, fierce, confident, very happy and quite persistent. She loved the tennis ball and going anywhere with me. She loved puppacino (milk froth) and the dregs of tea from my cup. When it came to naming the business, I had one name in mind; Cassie’s Workshop. Cassie passed away in March 2020 at the age of 12. She has a dedicatedly page on our website in memory of her.
I had no logo, no website, only a Facebook page with a ‘coming soon’ sign. That was it!
My eye for detail, precision and style quickly became my guide
It probably took another year before I got a proper email address and a web address. My first actual website was DIY in Wordpress, which I totally botched. I managed to completely delete it at one point and duplicate it another time. I was clicking buttons and hoping that something decent would stick. I had no clue what I was doing and I was too embarrassed to share it! But, it was start. The Cassie's Workshop Facebook page is where it all happened. I could easily manage the page, keeping it up to date with relevant content and engaging with interested people. It made sense to direct people there rather than to my website.
Key learning : A website can be a large investment when you have a portfolio like mine, and while it can be a great reference point, it is by no means a necessity if you are starting out.
Since 2015, we have revamped 1000’s of pieces of furniture for clients. I wish I had kept a log! We have taught 100’s of women a variety of techniques and how to work with Chalk paint. In 2019 we opened our first store packed with beautifully revamped pieces and expanded our product range including Annie Sloan, Granny B and Tjhoko. We have near 10 000 followers on both Instagram and Facebook.
Whatever you dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
This quote still gives me goosebumps!
Read the full blog here:
We love doing what we do!
XOXO
Haylee
