[Voiceover]: Welcome to the checkout. We catch up with previous add to cart guests and ask them five quick questions to get to know them better and leave you with a little extra inspiration to get you through your Friday.
Nathan Bush: Today's checkout features Nick Pierce, CEO and co founder of Homey. They're a social enterprise that aim to break down the stigma associated with homelessness and those experiencing it rough on the streets. They do this through their ultra cool fashion label, Homey, their upcycled reborn range, and their very cool Pathway alliance program that helps disadvantaged youth kickstart their career in retail. Nick, we have heard about the incredible things you guys are doing at Homey in the fashion world, but also for youth and youth homelessness. We're here to hear a little bit more about you. Five questions. Number one, what is the weirdest thing that you've ever bought online?
Nick Pearce: Okay, so it would have been during lockdown, bit of an existential crisis, but I jumped on to Lego, of all things, and saw that there was a Dom Toretto Dodge Charger from the Fast and Furious franchise that I had to do. So son was born and there was a bit of downtime at home. So during his first week between naps, etc, I built that. And that sits on the desk right now.
Nathan Bush: How good I've literally above my head here. I'm going to get it down right now. For last Father's Day, I got the Manchester United Stadium.
Nick Pearce: Amazing. Yeah, yeah. Beautiful. Yeah, yeah.
Nathan Bush: Half completed Father's Day last year and I just haven't finished it. But I think I'm just stretching it out as long as I can, mate.
Nick Pearce: Great pastime. And I can also recommend, I also bought the Batmobile from the Dark Knight films and that was an absolute mission to complete. So I'm a big Lego fiend right now.
Nathan Bush: There we go. And you've got a son coming through the ranks. You've got years of LEGO ahead of you.
Nick Pearce: Yeah, I can't wait. It's probably more for me than it is for him, unfortunately, but good.
Nathan Bush: All right, number two, who is your favorite retailer?
Nick Pearce: Okay, so my stickler, when I'm over in the States, which is not all that often, but I just love Urban Outfitters as a brand, as a store. I'm so fascinated by the products and I just love. I just think when I go there, like just so progressive and just. Yeah, I don't know, I just love the energy in those spaces. Like I went to one where there was a pokeball station like in the middle of the store and I'm sort of like, this is just awesome shopping experience. So I'm a big fan.
Nathan Bush: They come up frequently.
Nick Pearce: Actually.
Nathan Bush: I've never actually been into an urban outfitter store, but I really want to get over and check them out.
Nick Pearce: Yeah, no worth doing for sure. Like there's some absolute crackers there.
Nathan Bush: Good stuff. All right, number three, which E commerce practice do you wish was history?
Nick Pearce: So put a lot of practice as such. I actually put down the monopoly that Amazon has in terms of, I guess just like, you know, there's just so many amazing sort of small businesses and startups that are, you know, just so crushed by the fact that sometimes it's not even fair, you know, and there's some absolute gems that just don't even come to fruition. So I think, I know it's like wishful thinking and it's like, you know, it's just, it's, it's that notion of, well, that's the big bad, what we live in. But I really wish there was sort of a more opportunity for the little guys, little people to be able to, you know, sprout something.
Nathan Bush: Yeah, cool. All right, number four, can you recommend a book or a podcast that our listeners should immediately get into?
Nick Pearce: Oh yeah. So I was recommended this by a colleague, Smartless, as a podcast, which I really love listening to. Yeah, how good. And it's just obviously fascinating. You just hear from three very funny hosts. So it's Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes. So, you know, just comedic geniuses in their own right. But there was a really good one actually. They interviewed Tiffany Haddish, the comedian and she had a really interesting supermarket grocery store that she was opening up, which is really cool. So it's worth listening to that episode because it's very community orientated and what she's trying to achieve. So I thought that's a good episode to listen to.
Nathan Bush: That's cool. We'll put a link in the show notes again. But I love that podcast for the end of the day on the drive home when I'm, when I am in the office, like I listen to like the proper E commerce or the business ones in the start of the day and then by the end of the day I'm like just put on three people that I feel like they're friends.
Nick Pearce: And it's amazing the Brian look for it. But I mean not, not retail statistic, but the Bryan Cranston one I really enjoyed as well. But they're amazing guests. I mean who they pull on that show, it's just like, my goodness, these are mega stars.
Nathan Bush: It's very cool. All right, number five, last question. Finish this sentence. The future of retail is.
Nick Pearce: You probably guess it, it's opportunity. For me, it's just opportunity, opportunity, opportunity. Both from a business perspective, but really, as I say, I think retail could be a significant pillar in tackling some long standing social issues. It is such a pathway for people. It is amazing conduit to develop interpersonal skills, confidence, and say, like, again, it's the biggest employer of young people in our country. So I really feel like it's a key ingredient. So hopefully you'll get sick of us by the time, you know, you'll see Homie everywhere as, I guess, hopefully a collaborator with a number of big brands and businesses that are changing the face of, I guess, opportunity using that medium.
Nathan Bush: I look forward to the day that we are seeing Homey everywhere. Nick, thank you so much for sharing your story on the checkout.
Nick Pearce: It's been a pleasure. Nathan, thank you for having me.
Nathan Bush: To hear more from Nick, jump back into episode 156, where Nick shares how he went from studying journalism and being a manny. Yep, a real life manny. To creating a business with purpose that today is known as homey. We also dive into the unique size guides that Homie uses online, the tools they use for online accessibility, and why saying no to opportunities has opened up better doors than saying yes every time. Thanks for listening. And until next time, keep adding to cars.
