A 1 Tribe CIC

was established in December 2019, Just days after the Christmas holiday. Sandra was a Secondary school teacher until 2018, alongside showing up in community affairs and the human experience seen by a dyslexic adult. Creatively trained in Art/Fashion, Design and being from a Caribbean background, along with having lived most of her life in London, England, Sandra desired somewhere where she could connect with the landscapes around her.

The mix of the urban environment with its buildings, old and new and the natural eco culture nestled into it. Online was everything a sensitive creative could ask for in building a successful homestyle business.

The first iteration of the community business was simply A Star Enterprise facilitated your potential workshop. Then converted to a Natual Holistic Woman, which promoted the same seminars focused on the woman and sold natural personal care products, healthcare remedies and stationery. In 2012, Sandra graduated as a Secondary school teacher Teaching Design Technology. Sandra then moved from classroom teaching in schools to talking on stage and in the community and facilitating projects on community cohesion. In doing this work, A 1 Tribe CIC was founded to continue cultivating a workshop that now included growing your Food and preparing it to eat. To stock items that complement Sandra's work. Given her background in Teaching, this felt like a natural progression and led to a further expansion of what the business offers.

Having an online outlet was a dream come true. The store has a strong concept and only stocked items that Sandra would or has in her own home, from handmade artists and designers that she loved, whether it was a card she would send, a gardening apron Sandra wore or a notepad that would adorn her workspace. It all came together as a beautiful and quirky mix of unique products that appealed to all ages and guaranteed a smile. As the business grows, so will the team, and the family business begins to extend into working with like-minded people. Having both sides of the company under one roof allowed Sandra to join her love of Food and to grow with the curation of products available in the home/garden store and Sandras.

A dedicated team of online freelancers creates Sandra's designs. She continues to be inspired by the beauty she sees around her and her Caribbean dyslexic attributes. Over the years, her style and techniques have expanded to include different mediums and methods. In 2016, this led to the writing of Sandra's first book Dyslexic the silent difference, both a response to the limitations imposed by the previous year, ultimately resulting in further growth.

Though the business is growing, the ethos remains the same. Sandra is known for her diverse taste, championing quality over quantity and combining durability with style. She is still the driving force behind what items are sold in-store. Her small but focused team works closely with her and each other, creating an ever-expanding range of in-house and garden products, often in partnership with other local, independent businesses, and always with sustainability in mind.