A Dundee mum who started a greetings cards business last year says her creations reflect her personality and patriotism.
Sharon Reilly, 48, was working as a nurse when she felt that she needed a change.
So in 2023, she decided to begin designing and selling greetings cards, gifts and prints, under the name Lunabuloona.
The mum-of-three found that she enjoyed working for herself and made the switch to self-employment.
Her products incorporate Scottish phrases like ‘braw new hoose’ and ‘ya wee star’.
Her business began as an online shop. Now, just a year later, she has been able to provide a wholesale option to shops for her products.
Felt stuck in her career
Sharon worked as a nurse for her entire adult life. However, she found that her job was no longer making her happy.
She explained: “During Covid, I just felt that I was extremely stressed, as were a lot of people in the country. Working at that time was detrimental to my mental and physical health. I just felt stuck.
“I’d always loved crafts and making people laugh. So after some contemplation, I decided to run the business alongside nursing, with the view to eventually leave healthcare.
“My husband Paul has been self-employed for 20 years and he’s a good role model and a big advocate for self-employment. He has helped me navigate that world over the past year.”
Despite the fact that she had undertaken various degrees and qualifications to move up in the NHS, she says that she “doesn’t regret her decision in the slightest”.
Sharon has done various pop-up shops across the country and finds that her products are not for everyone.
She said: “Some people will walk past and you can tell by their faces if they’re a fan or not.
“I love to get a reaction out of people and I love the face-to-face aspect of stalls.”
Lunabuloona greetings cards shop not feasible in Dundee
Sharon creates all of her own designs. She wanted to communicate her own personality and is a very patriotic person. This inspires the majority of her products.
She comes up with the phrases and graphics that appear on the cards and gifts, then sends them to be printed.
“They usually come in a huge brown box and I love just looking at them because I made that,” she said.
“When I was starting out, I was lucky that I didn’t have the overheads because Paul works with websites. In today’s climate, really the only option was an online shop.
“I’d love to have a physical shop but it’s just not feasible. The high street isn’t what it once was.
“That was one of the reasons why we went wholesale and are in talks with shops to see if they’re interested in stocking Lunabuloona. I can’t wait to see my products on shelves and be able to buy them.”
Sharon’s website ships UK-wide, but she has found that her products are particularly popular outside of Scotland. She has even had an order from Australia.
Mental health is at the heart of her card company
One thing Sharon is particularly enthusiastic about is generating happiness through her products. It was one of the main reasons why she decided to make greeting cards.
She thought that special occasions would be a great opportunity to make people laugh and enjoy a joke together.
Some of her most popular products are mental health prints, with positive phrases about coping with anxiety.
She said: “I’m in the process of supplying the mental health unit on Perth Road with prints for the walls.
“I’d love to work with other businesses like that in the future. I love the idea of my products putting a smile on people’s faces.”
