Meisje Laboyrie graces our cover this November. A long term Raglan local who has achieved great things by sheer hard work, a good eye and clever decisions along the way.
Jacqui from the Local Rag connected with her to learn about her current business ventures and lifestyle.
How did the idea come up to start Out of Ubud?
My partner Matt were having a holiday in Bali six years ago and decided to bring a container home as we were building our home at the time. We had extra space in our shipping container so we decided to sell some stock to help cover the costs. We started off doing a few markets then a pop-up shop in Raglan Township which we thoroughly enjoyed so we began to brainstorm ways of continuing to be able to have holidays and buying missions combined. After we completed our new build, we had a couple of empty small huts on our property, which we lived in during the construction of our house, so we then thought it made sense to have a little shop there on our land close to home .
How do you source all the products?
For the first three years, we combined a once a year holiday and buying trip which involved hiring a scooter and navigating our way around sourcing potential stock in local markets. We were also able to meet locals who made the products.
When Covid hit, we then were able to contact our suppliers via WhatsApp so they could video call us showing all their new stock. We have formed a close friendship over the years with our shipping company, David Bali Cargo. His wife has helped us to be able to continue buying products off small villages and markets. She loves sourcing our goods.
Have you always had an interest in home wares and creating beautiful spaces?
Yes, I always loved going into beautiful shops, looking and dreaming of fitting out my own home one day. This dream became a reality as we were able to bring some amazing furniture and home wares home. I’ve always had a passion for gardening so I was able to add some lovely hand carved Stone Buddhas into my garden and court yard areas.
You are out of town so are a destination store. How does this work for you?
We were lucky with our location as it’s close to the main highway so it’s easy for customers to pop in. Raglan Signs helped us to create signage heading into and out of town.
How do people find you and contact you?
We have a very basic website and Facebook page which gives people a look into the sorts of products we offer. Word of mouth seems to bring a lot of visitors in. Also we get a lot of holiday makers from all over the country popping in along with many locals who drive by curiously wondering what we have.
Tell us about your other businesses?
Besides running the shop we have five kids between us who keep us busy and on our toes. I also have gardening and lawn mowing businesses (Garden Girls) and (Raglan Lawn Girls) so it’s a juggling act, a lot of the time tag teaming with myself and Mathew. After 10 years getting my hands dirty in the garden, I am fortunate to have a couple of amazing workers who help keep the gardening and lawn business running smoothly. I am now enjoying being able to spend more time at home not only running our shop, but playing in my nursery propagating plants. I am also known as the egg lady or the chicken lady so I spend many hours a week tending to my girls (chooks) whom I love dearly.:-)
You have a lot going on Meisje. I have always admired your work ethic and how you have never shied away from getting stuck in with the physical work to create wonderful results in both your personal environment and for your clients.
How do you ensure you don’t get burnt out? How do you find balance as a mother, partner, friend, and multiple business owner?
Well yes, I’d like to say I have it down to a fine art but I do have blow out moments trust me, ask my kids ha ha … but it’s very much a balancing act and I try to tick a little off each box most days. I must admit I wouldn’t be able to do it all without the massive support physically and mentally I have from Mathew. Walking my dog on the beach is also one of my favourite times to charge up my batteries and collect my thoughts. Going to bed early helps, as well as catching up with great friends for a wine …this is where we do a lot of problem solving!!
How do people find you and contact you?
We have a very basic website and Facebook page which gives people a look into sorts of products we offer. Word of mouth seems to bring a lot of visitors in. Also we get a lot of holiday makers from all over the country popping in along with many locals who drive by curiously wondering what we have.
fb Out of Ubud Bali shop
2A Maungatawhiri Rd
