We were lucky to catch up with Alena Lane recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
It was Fall of 2019 and I was on maternity leave with my daughter. Sitting there soaking it all up and dreaming of ways I could stay home with her and not go back to work as a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Nurse at our local children’s hospital. In this moment I came up with the idea of creating & curating my own children’s boutique. Nothing seemed more fitting than using my own two babies names. Duke is our black lab and first child and then I thought it fit perfectly with our daughters middle name of Mae. Duke & Mae was conceptualized right there in those snuggles though I did not go to form my business for two more years.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I grew up shopping with my mom on the weekends- it was our thing. We bonded, chatted about our week and got to connect. So to be owning and curating my own boutique 20 years later isn’t a huge surprise.
My formal training is in nursing. Specifically, I was a pediatric intensive care unit nurse for 11 years. I loved it, it was fulfilling, I met all my best friends and learned so much from my amazing patients and families. After welcoming our daughter into the world. Everything changed for me. My work world was no longer able to stay at work. Likewise, home came to work with me. I was not willing to sacrifice being a nurse or mom I wasn’t proud of. So I made the tough decision and walked away.
After a year at home with my gal, the little pandemic idea of duke & Mae kept creeping into my brain, so I jumped in with both feet and haven’t looked back.
Duke & Mae is meant to be a place where you can find practical and stylish clothes and goods for your kiddos that you’ll both love. All our brands are women owned with a majority based right here in the PNW. How things are made are important to us with sustainability being an important pillar of our business model. I curate and collect every item for the store to make sure everything is of the highest quality. Ensuring that each time you shop with us you are going to be beyond satisfied with your purchase.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
I am fortunate to have a lot of great markets in our area that support makers and curators. Each new market I meet so many lovely new customers and am beyond grateful for all the support. Breaking into the online world can be though to get noticed so I am so fortunate to have the space to show up in person.
We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
My business partner is my best friend and husband, Jason. He has been my biggest cheerleader and supporter from the beginning. Luckily, he has a business background so has given me a crash course to make my first year successful. He’s always believed in me and feel so fortunate to have his unwavering support. He’s constantly pushing me and we make the best team.
Contact Info:
- Website: dukeandmae.com
- Instagram: @dukeandmae