There’s often some precious item from childhood that becomes a forever memory, and for Sarah Megara, this was her little red, yellow and blue table and chair set. “It had this open top where I stored all my treasures and I used it in my cubby house. I imagined, dreamed and created at that table and it holds a special place in my heart – even now,” the 31-year old from Essendon, Australia, tells WHO.

It meant that for her daughter Layla’s first Christmas in 2024, she wanted to buy something that could hold similar significance, so when she stumbled on a beautiful
moulded set with confetti-like sprinkles throughout, she thought she’d struck gold. 
“It was $600 plus $75 shipping,” Sarah says, remembering how her heart fell at the  hefty price tag. “The more I thought about it, the more I thought it couldn’t be right,” she adds. “It was literally a piece of plastic and, me being me, I got stuck on it and ended up  finding the manufacturer [in China] and asking how much they were.”

It turned out the Australian stores were selling them for a huge mark-up and Sarah credits her anger with her next move.  “I spent the next two nights setting up a website and all the social media, and in November, I ordered a container of the sets,” she says. It meant 320 tables and chairs would be turning up at Sarah’s doorstep, so she needed to start selling as soon as possible. At the time, she was on maternity leave from her technical consulting job and, having

just lost a big client, she knew a change was on the cards. Kids’ furniture hadn’t been the obvious choice, but when the first order came in, followed by another and another, she realised it might just work. “I was selling them for $399 plus shipping, and at first, people thought it was a scam,” Sarah says. “The way I replied to their questions made them see it wasn’t, and

I started creating content online and had a friend who was an influencer who backed me, too.” Within two weeks of going on sale, all 320 sets were sold through her website, Jelly Bean Interiors, and when the container arrived,
so did the couriers, delivering them to customers all over Australia.

“The response was unreal. Mums were telling me they’d wanted this set forever and had been waiting for a sale. I got the same message over and over, and it made me realise I wasn’t the only one who loved them while also thinking that they were completely unaffordable,” Sarah says.

With the first container all sold out, Sarah ordered more and more. As the weeks went on, she investigated other furniture and added a bucket seat and stool, as well as little loungers. Within five months, she’s made $275,000 in revenue and had what she says is the most fun ever.

“It’s the polar opposite to the tech world I was in,” she says. “I’ve learnt so much, but the biggest thing is how important human connection is. You can’t build a brand on product or pricing – it’s all about putting yourself out there and being very real with your customers.”

Looking to the future, Sarah is designing her own products and will keep adding to her current ranges.  “At the moment, I’m investing everything I earn back into the business and I’m so excited to see where it goes,” she says. • By Emma Levett

×