OUR STORY

Tiny Box is special to us. It is our sanctuary.

It was bought when our lives were in chaos and crisis, and in return, it has given us sanity, calm and hope.

To give you some background…..

Bryan and I met in the year 2000 while we were both working on a cruise ship. We fell in love and accepted that we would spend a life sustaining a long distance romance as he worked on the seas and I worked (still do) in music. Tours and long contracts would be the norm, or so we thought.

Shortly after we were married we decided that we didn’t actually want to spend that much time apart and Bryan took a risk, walked the plank and came home, giving up everything nautical for a new adventure. Whatever that might be.

A conversation happened over al fresco dinner in our garden one weekend with a friend. It started like this ‘what would you do if you could do anything?’. Ideas flowed, as did the wine and it was a night that we will remember forever. That evening our new business was born. Our friend and new business partner, didn’t go home for a year and a half while we got to work!

Blood, sweat and tears went into building a bar business with a heavy focus on design, brand, putting the customer first and giving them an experience they wouldn’t forget. The business grew, and grew, and grew and seemed unstoppable.

During this time Bryan reunited with his father who had taught him to sail as a child (Bryan had his yachts masters at 11) and started sailing again. A Saturday spent on the waves, travelling as fast as possible and sometimes winning races, became his stress relief and an essential counter balance to the pressured position of running a fast growing bar business in our hectic capital city.

All was going well until…16 years later…you know the story…we had a pandemic. Hospitality wasn’t the most comfortable business to be in and to cut a long and painful story short, we jumped ship. A larger company could sustain the covid debt where we couldn’t and the bar company was handed over. Our lives during this time were turned upside down and we had to make some decisions fast and take some action to survive.

In order to create some income we spent all savings and bought a very run down yellow tin box. What we didn’t expect was how all the weekends together refurbishing it and making it a comfortable space to rent out for guests would give us perspective, tranquility and a place to breathe. Family, the four of us…..Me, Bryan, Dottie (our daughter) and Reg (our dog) spent quality time there surrounded by plasterboard and eating Nando’s off a makeshift table. Away from the clutter in our lives Brighton Marina gave us solace.

We love it and love being there and we are thrilled to be able to share it with you. We sincerely hope that you breathe in the air and feel the same sense of peace that we do. There is something about a tiny space that makes you realise what is important in life. We don’t need big dreams when we can have tiny ones that make us really happy! It has taken Bryan back to his roots and even though I bought the binoculars in the drawer to look at the birds, he uses them to watch the sailing boats navigate their way in and out of the marina, where we do have the prime viewing spot!

So, what’s next? We are hooked and sold on tiny space living and hope to bring you some more Tiny Boxes to stay in, maybe even one on wheels where you can choose the destination. We will keep you posted.

Jai, Bryan, Dottie & Reg X