30 May 2023
#FleetvilleForever is the mantra at the heart of one of the newest shops to open on the Hatfield Road – a boutique where personal mental health and wellbeing is behind everything they do.
Located in premises previously occupied by the Kadect charity shop for deaf children in underprivileged parts of Kashmir and India, I’m Fine was born out of the growing need for mental health support following Covid.
It is the brainchild of stylist Natalie Herd, who used to work at Earleys women’s fashion store in George Street, and art therapist Amy Lisney-Smith, who supports children with autism and ADHD.
The two have been friends since they first met at Beaumont School in 1999, and although they had always harboured a desire to set up their own retail offering (Natalie ran Ivy & Artemis pop-up before the pandemic and the birth of her son), it was only over a breakfast at Morrison’s that they decided to make their dream a reality.
Walking down Hatfield Road in search of empty units, they realised the Kadect shop was now empty, and the landlord was standing nearby…
That was the beginning of March, and the shop opened a few weeks ago thanks to the efforts of Natalie, Amy and their family, including Amy’s new fiancé Tom Job, who works in the construction industry.
The St Albans Times visited I’m Fine to talk to the ladies about their obvious passion for the shop and its concept.
“It reflects our personalities and also our sense of humour,” Amy said. “We’ve chosen and curated everything. Sometimes I hear giggles from customers when they stumble across something which they find amusing. There’s even a children’s area where they can colour while their parents shop, so we don’t have to hear cries of ‘Don’t touch anything!'”
The shop stocks everything from socks with slogans and handmade Danish candles through to dinosaur planters and motivational wall art.
There’s also a pre-loved section where items are sold on behalf of a chosen charity, currently Mind, and a wellbeing room where people can rent space for Reiki, crystal healing, soundbaths, meditation workshops and so on.
Tom is lobbying for a men’s section complete with beard oils and other products, but is also keen to run group sessions in the wellbeing room.
“The construction industry has one of the highest death rates among men,” he highlighted.
It’s also a family affair as apart from Tom, Natalie’s mother Nicola and Amy’s mum Jan both help out regularly behind the counter.
Natalie said she came up with the ethos behind the shop while having treatment for anxiety and depression at Stevenage mental hospital last year.
“It’s fashion and wellbeing,” she explained. “We’re all about helping others, lightening the load, and letting people that it’s OK to talk about what they might be going through – coming together and being a part of the wider community.
“Fashion can be such a toxic environment, and we want people to come in and feel positive energy when they’re shopping.”
Natalie’s daughter is autistic, and she realised there are lots of mums out there who are struggling with the diagnosis and knowing what to do. So one of the ideas she is working on is Talking Toads, a support group for autistic children and their parents.
The enthusiasm which both Natalie and Amy share for I’m Fine and what they are trying to do is impossible to ignore, and it seems they have definitely tapped into a need within the Fleetville community and beyond.
“I grew up on the Hatfield Road,” Natalie added, “and always wanted to bring something here which had an eclectic mix of colour, positivity and holistic therapy.
“It’s been a lot of hard work to get here but it’s about people uniting and being as non-judgemental as possible.”
