Reviving dreams online: How mum-of-two saves her business while cherishing family moments

Raising two young children is demanding enough, but when coupled with the pressures of managing a retail business, life can become an overwhelming whirlwind of stress and chaos. However, for this particular small business owner, a choice made during the pandemic two years ago, transformed everything.

Shares Antoinette Wong, 39, founder of The Little Dröm Store, which sells quirky merchandise inspired by everyday Singapore: “We closed our store at Ann Siang Hill and moved our business online to Lazada when physical shops took a hit during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Running the brick and mortar store “almost emptied our savings. It was extremely challenging, especially mentally and morally when we had literally zero sales on some days; and rental in Singapore is always a killer,” she shares.

The Little Dröm Store was founded in 2010 by Antoinette and her husband Stanley Tan, 43, and is popular with both Singaporeans and tourists for its cute, collectible merchandise steeped in Singapore nostalgia. When Antoinette chose to move the business online in 2021, she created a store on the Lazada platform as a marketplace seller.

One of her main goals was to broaden the store’s client base, while removing the pressures of maintaining a shop space. “The catalyst was to have a greater outreach to consumers and also not to be tied down with the burdens of a physical shop,” she says.

Beginning their online journey was a learning curve. “There have definitely been ups and downs,” admits Antoinette. “It is a challenge trying to manage customers’ demanding expectations on shipping timeframes.” 

She shares that the campaigns and marketing tools, like free shipping and the bundle deals provided by the platform, have been helpful in garnering new customers. On a more sentimental note, she likes that being online has allowed her to come into contact again with customers who used to patronise her Ann Siang Hill store. “It’s nice to know that they’re still kindly supporting our business whenever they’re looking out for local souvenirs.”

Growing the business and the family

The year Antoinette and her husband closed The Little Dröm Store’s physical space was also the year they had their first child. Says Antoinette: “I love the plus points of being able to work from home mostly and not be tied down to fixed working hours. The flexibility and freedom of how I manage my time is a priority in this phase of my life as I want to build a strong relationship with my two young children, aged eight and five.” 

Having made the intentional decision not to engage a helper in order to be more hands-on in their parenting roles, Antoinette and Stanley appreciate the flexibility of an online store even more. 

As a mother running a business, Antoinette is sympathetic to the plight of many mums, especially those who are struggling with wanting to be a good parent while also trying to maintain their own identity as a person. “I know young mums who try to keep themselves sane by having a passion, like crafting something small. Having a platform like Lazada, without the overwhelming commitment and burdens of a physical shop, helps them as a starting point. It provides them with a platform to do something they love while still being the hands-on mum they want to be.”

Future plans

In addition to selling on Lazada, Antoinette does stock The Little Dröm Store’s products in physical stores and also plans to expand in the future. “We would love to explore more children’s products, and maybe a physical store again when my kids are older,” she says. 

And while Antoinette doesn’t see herself as a role model, she hopes her positive attitude can rub off on other people and perhaps inspire them to try to make their own dreams a reality.

“One piece of advice I’d share is to not focus on the problem. Instead, focus on the potential. Worrying hinders, but having faith and believing helps us move forward, even though we may not be where we want to be – yet. I’m thankful that at least I’m taking small steps and on my way there!”

Visit Antoinette’s store and discover many others on Lazada.