Why Haven?

We had just moved back to Chicago after one of the most trying seasons for our family. We lived in Iowa for 8 short months, working in an organization that we ultimately did not align with or believe in.

The ending was not what we would have hoped for and we ultimately left feeling deeply hurt by the process.

From the outside, our lives must have seemed so chaotic. In just 10 months, we moved three times—including two state changes and one within Chicago—navigated multiple job transitions, and dealt with the ups and downs of our finances. I was finishing school, learning to be a mom to my first child, and pregnant with our second. It was life in its most gloriously messy form.

However, the year following our move back to Chicago could best be described with one word: gentle. We rested and healed, felt life and vigor seep into our bones again. We felt safe. I remember sitting in the midst of our beloved church community one Sunday morning, when suddenly the word ‘Haven’ rested so clearly on my mind.

God had been a Haven to us in so many ways. All of the things that were once heavy and dark were being made safe again.

Throughout the years this word would be an anchoring theme for myself and Brandon. There were times we needed the covering of a Haven, but it has also been a calling to be a Haven for others, to extend the loving-kindness that had been shone so profoundly to us.

For me, this theme has taken on an even more specific shape with a distinct desire to love young mothers facing domestic violence and pregnancy uncertainty. My heart feels so deeply and endlessly for these women and girls.

Back in 2023 when Raquel and I started sharing some of our ideas and visions for what this shop would be, we knew loving these young women and their babies was going to be integral... from partnering with existing organizations, to donating profits, to some really big dreams that I’m not quite brave enough to share just yet. 😉

What I have discovered about this desire to become a Haven is that it is wildly contagious. Our hope is to, yes, bring you beautiful clothes that feel like home in the days to come...

...but more than that, we long to extend a loving hand to the most vulnerable around us, until they are safe enough to flourish once again.