When covid -19 hit, I was an international flight attendant. I lost a job and work whanau I loved, and a place I had belonged for close to a decade. To say that losing my job through circumstances completely out of my control impacted my life is an understatement. I was incredibly lucky to have the support of my husband through the redundancy process. i started to see being able to spend time with my two beautiful boys and my husband as a blessing in disguise and really made the most of it.
My husband and I have been backpacking and travelling the world since we started dating in 2006. We both love intrepid travel, connecting with locals and like-minded travellers. Not even having two kids stopped us from travelling - we always found a way and had so much fun.
Covid -19 put a stop to that too. For the first time in a long time, we couldn't just book a plane ticket and experience somewhere new.
The idea of Boho Bara shop was born during the first lockdown in 2020. When I was going through our travel albums and reading my travel journals, I felt a strong sense of longing for the freedom, novelty, and connection we experienced during our travels. My mind went to the communities and the people we met in southeast Asia and how they were coping with the economic impact of Covid-19. I decided to combine my passion for bohemian-style rattan furniture and helping Southeast Asian communities by making these beautiful and functional works of art available in New Zealand.
I hope these beautiful handmade furniture pieces will bring some joy to your home - they might even bring back some travel memories for you.
Thank you for supporting us along this journey. It means so much to us.
Barb x