The Buy Me Once Founding Story

By Tara Button

Aged 29, I was writing TV ads, a job that pushed people to buy things they didn’t necessarily want or need. I was also an impulsive shopper, getting myself into thousands of pounds of debt.

Then, on my 30th birthday, I was given a Le Creuset cooking pot by my lovely sister, Jules. Le Creuset are known for their beautiful but hardy heirloom cookware, and every time I used this pot, I thought, If only all my possessions were like this, I’d never have to replace anything. In fact, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to trust everything we bought not to let us down and end up as landfill. Think of the environmental benefits! Buying for life became my new mantra, curing my impulsive shopping and giving me a more mindful approach to buying and my priorities in general.

I thought, if only there was a website which only sold long lasting, sustainable products. But back in 2013, there wasn’t. The idea stalked me for months until finally (despite having close to zero technical ability) I gave in to the idea and started to build a basic website, which I decided to call Buy Me Once. Suddenly, my free time consisted of squinting at warranty fine print and trying to work out why most kettles die within five years. Slowly my research turned into a few products displayed on a basic website.

Out of the blue, in January 2016, a journalist found BuyMeOnce on Twitter and pitched a story to The Telegraph. Over the next few days, the article went viral and my world (and inbox) exploded. I was able to quit my job and commit to spreading the BuyMeOnce message globally.

Since then I’ve been joined by an amazing team of people, all passionate about the BuyMeOnce mission. I’ve even hired my old boss to help me run the business, which rather awesome… if slightly surreal.

2017 saw 2000 products researched and added to the site and a personal dream became a reality with a book deal with Harper Collins and Penguin Random House. Writing A Life Less Throwaway: The Lost Art of Buying for Life was an amazing opportunity to dig deep into why the way we buy now is so broken and get the whole philosophy of BuyMeOnce out into the world.

Our mission is to shift the way the world buys to long-term, more mindful shopping. BuyMeOnce is just at the beginning of its journey but already it’s making the difference in how individuals and companies behave.

We are more than a shop, we are a movement, and we are here to stay.

Enjoy looking around and please get in contact if you’d like to help.

Love

Tara Button