My Story
Here is a little bit about me and how the site was birthed in 2020!
Born in N7, The Arsenal was a club I was bound to by naturally, my local, my everything... The Arsenal spirit is something I inherited from my family who have deep roots in Islington and I feel the love for this club grow even fonder everyday I am in and around the area.
In my adolescence, as my passion and love for The Arsenal grew I wanted to be as close as possisble to the club so I landed my first job there as a Matchday Usher and an 'Arsenal In The Community worker' and by the time I knew it I was working regular shifts in The Armoury. I felt even closer to the club and fans by being on the thick of it by selling Fabrics and colours of Arsenal in the club shop.
Then came COVID-19. As lockdown hit and work became extremely limited/ non-existent, being a student on a 0-Hour contract felt really tough so I began clearing out my collection of Vintage AFC merch I was building throughout my time I was working at the club with my wage. Using DEPOP and Ebay and directing fans to my IG page I started building a buzz with rarities and strong feelings of nostalgia. In lockdown too, all we had was the past as there was no football on too... and when we did return back to action, we wasn't the most pleasant team to watch. So the TH14, DB10 and Wrighty shirts felt like a huge breath of fresh air for a lot of the Gooners I was interacting with.
As the site grew and more orders came through I realised that this wasn't just my passion it naturally became my job and duty to serve the fanbase by delivering these great shirts. In this time I have also been building relationships, connections and a deeper love for the club.
Pop-Ups followed the regular site updates and services to the point we connected with LA Gooners and New York's Supporters club in O'Hanlons bringing shirts and N7 closer to the fans stateside.
As I grew my IG page and social platforms, I have been lucky enough to collab with brands and club legends - see Collabs page for more!
As always I am super grateful for such opportunities and it only fuels my passion every time I am working day to day.
Not only do I feel closer than ever to the club through collabs and shirt trading, but Matchdays are also a huge part of my life which I love documenting. Keep posted on all pages if you would like updates and as always, looking to collab and interact with fellow Gooners!
Thanks for coming this far in My story!
Special thanks to a couple key names in helping me grow the page,
@GUNNERKEDZ - advisor and an unofficial co-director/ best mate
@LOWERNORTHBANK - dear friend, collaborator and visionary
COYG
