Shops / Cabot Circus
Plant store to come to Cabot Circus
Selling a hand-curated collection of lifestyle items, Mila is a store selling everything from coffee to houseplants.
Started by Sam McKay as an online business during the first lockdown, Mila has gone from strength to strength since launching.
“Within the first few weeks we had taken off so much that I was struggling to keep up,” says Sam, who is 33 and has been running restaurants in Bristol for 12 years. “An opportunity then came up for a place at the St Nick’s Market on a Saturday which we dived into headstrong which was incredible and so much fun.”
is needed now More than ever
Cabot Circus has recently offered Sam the opportunity to rent a retail space inside the shopping centre as Mila continues to grow.
“We love speaking with our customers and meeting people, we love helping people find things that they love and make them smile,” Sam says. “Simply put, a shop helps us do that, but with comfier chairs!”
“My plans for the future are to enjoy every moment, to have fun, to not sweat the small stuff and to help people wherever possible,” says Sam Mckay
Running Mila by the ethos “bring your gorgeous inside”, Sam sells houseplants, pots, homewares, eco home care, skincare and coffee. The range is always growing and changing, and focuses on supporting local businesses, recently partnering with Bristol Made to bring vegan skincare to the store.
Sam bought a house in Stoke Gifford with fiance Adam in 2019, after living in Bedminster for 11 years. Katie, Sam and Adam’s neighbour who, until the first lockdown, they hadn’t ever spoken to, has been “vital” to the success of Mila.
“I literally wouldn’t have been able to do it without her,” says Sam. “Getting up at sunrise to help with markets, trekking orders all over Bristol, listening to my crazy ideas.”
Alongside Katie, who has recently left her job in higher education to work with Sam full time, the start of Sam’s business has been full of long hours and busy shifts at Nando’s.
“I work about 80/90 hours a week (45ish in the restaurant and the rest on MILA doing deliveries, building the website, doing markets etc.). I am exhausted 80 per cent of the time but I’m happy 100 per cent of the time,” Sam says, adding that he is about to leave the hospitality industry to work on the store full time.
Sam and Mila in St Nick’s Market
Sam named the business Mila after a young child who has made a significant impact on his life. A friend, Amy, moved in with Sam and Adam while pregnant.
When Mila was born, the couple’s life changed from one of living for work and partying, to that of enjoying life through the eyes of a young child. As a trio, they support Mila, saying: “People sometimes struggle to understand our family, a gay couple, a single mum, and a daughter.
“But if you ever meet Mila, if you’re lucky enough to experience her wit, humour or cuddles, you’ll see that love doesn’t understand the ‘normal’, it comes from support, encouragement, nurture – and a garage full of houseplants.”
Amy, Mila, Adam and Sam
All photos: Sam McKay
Read more: A blooming wonderful flower business
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