We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sep Alwin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sep below.
Hi Sep, thanks for joining us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?
From a very young age, my parents always reminded my older brothers and me that kind gestures don’t have to be grand to be meaningful. Mornings in my childhood home were always set to amazing music paying in the background, with lyrics that often struck me as wise or worth further exploration. Cat Steven’s line from “Father and Son”, “from the moment I could talk, I was ordered to listen” was one such line. Giving our full attention to our customers, listening and being present in our interactions has been a priority from the day we opened our shop. We strive to make each customer’s experience an elevated one, trying to find a way to make it personal. It’s by listening that we often find ways to achieve this goal. An antique cigarette case brought back from a Paris sourcing trip for a customer who expressed sorrow after misplacing her grandmother’s case years ago. At checkout, adding a vintage Parisian postcard into the bag of a customer who reminisced about living abroad in his 20’s. Preparing a warm cup of tea for the customer that just can’t get warm on a cold Wisconsin winter day. Nothing grand, but small acts of kindness that will stay with our customers and hopefully bring them joy.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Object is a small brick & mortar shop that aims to encourage a slower lifestyle through our collection of time-honored goods. We value quality over quantity, stocking objects that promote human connection, calm & quiet experiences, and less impact on our planet. Our walls and shelves are filled new items from longstanding brands sourced around the world in addition to unique, one-of-kind antique wares hand-selected from Europe.
Prior to opening our shop in 2023, I was working as a burnt out ICU nurse coming off the loss of several family members to illness and nearly two years of COVID ICU work. I was struggling to stay present in nearly every aspect of life, noticing the slow but increasing distance between myself and my family, my health, and my creative outlets. We knew we needed a change and turned our “someday” dream of opening our own shop into reality. Together, my wife and I had spent the previous decade traveling, always seeking out small, independent shops along the way. Experiencing the originality and personal expression of the shopkeeper’s voice through their shops was always so inspiring, and during that time, our home became filled with brands and objects we’d found during our travels. It was these objects that helped make our home the much needed oasis during years of struggle, chaos, and hardship as a result of personal loss and a global pandemic.
Today, our shop adds another original voice to independent shop owners that strive to make a meaningful impact on communities in which we live. Ours aims to help others create a slow and cozy home that serves as a space to rest, reconnect, and recover from our often chaotic world.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Having “planned out’ our dream shop in our heads for nearly 10 years, the process from our decision to make it a reality to opening our doors was very quick and relatively stress-free. We knew the brands we’d carry, knew how we’d design the space, and even knew the name thanks to the incredible teachings of Belgian art dealer Axel Vervoordt. Two days after deciding to move ahead with our idea, we secured a dilapidated 300 square foot retail space in our historic downtown that had sat empty for nearly two years. Over the next few weeks, I transformed the space into what would become an award winning retail space only subbing out the electrical work. The rest – demo, refinishing floors, installing HVAC, paint, and finish work – was all done myself, mostly in the evenings and nights around my shifts at the hospital.
We’re proud of the fact we never needed to secure external funding to start our business. While the buildout was a lot of hard work, we transformed the space with a budget of less than $5,000. We opted for antique or secondhand fixtures and building materials to add authentic character to the space, with the added benefit of saving money. Our initial orders were kept small, knowing we could gradually increase stock as demand allowed, and for the first year in business, we were the sole faces behind the cashwrap, greeting our customers and really getting to know their needs. It has been this slow and careful approach that has given us great flexibility in controlling our growth while also providing security to buffer the economic uncertainly that seems to change by the week.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
We spend very little on marketing for our shop. In fact, I believe our total marketing spend for 2025 was $225. Instead, we focus capital towards creating experiences for our customers. In the shop, it’s an immersive experience where a cozy space instantly surrounds them, allowing a few minutes of respite from the world outside. It’s a very intentional focus on customer service and creating longterm customers. Online, it’s a front row seat to Paris where we share our antique sourcing trips through photography and behind-the-scenes videos of the historic antique markets. These experiences help generate tremendous word of mouth referrals which we’ve found translate into real support for our shop.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.objecthomewares.com
- Instagram: @objecthomewares
- Facebook: @objecthomewares
Image Credits
All images by Object Homewares.