Welcome. I am so glad you are here.My name is Taylor, and East of These started with a sewing lesson in October of 2014. My good friend Jessica, a mom of three boys, was craving a hobby that felt a little more girly and asked me to teach her to sew. We decided to make headbands, mostly for the fun of it. Before long we were making headbands and other small handmade things for friends and for people around Lakeland, and giving the proceeds away.

There was never a business plan. There was a desire to create something and to give something.

Where the name comes from

Our name comes from the phrase "the least of these" in the Bible, which refers to anyone who is impoverished, marginalized, or in great need. From the beginning we wanted a mission behind the goods we make, and we have kept looking for ways to give back to people in need in our own community. Part of that is a commitment to employing women and creating good work for them here.

Where we are now

The headbands were not a smaller version of this business. They were the first canvas.

Today you can find us in two storefronts in downtown Lakeland. Pine Street is where we get to do the art of getting dressed, with a stylist who will pull things you would not have chosen for yourself. Traders Alley is a little piece of home, full of local, handmade, and Lakeland things, and it is where the original East of These spirit is still the most visible. We also make custom apparel, keep a table at the market, and host people for evenings in the shop whenever we can find a reason.

The canvas keeps changing. What it is for does not.

What we hope you take with you

We believe every person who walks through our door already carries worth, beauty, and the ability to make something good. We are not here to hand that to anyone. We are here to make something beautiful, and to give people a chance to notice it, enjoy it, and pass it along.

Twelve years in, on the same few blocks of downtown Lakeland, that is still the whole idea. The people who showed up for those first headbands in 2014 are some of the same people who walk in on a Saturday now, and I do not take that lightly.

So come wander. Try something on, find a gift for someone you love, or just come see what we found this week. You are welcome here whether you buy anything or not.

Grateful you are here,

Taylor Ard