Meet the family! Sarah, Finn (5), Fleur (1), and Charlie.

Instagram vs. real life.

"We moved to South East Portland two months after moving to America 11 years ago (from London). We rented a house for a few years then saw one we loved for sale 3 blocks down on the same street and were lucky enough to buy it. We love our neighborhood, so close for walks to Mount Tabor, a coffee at Stumptown, or tacos at our favorite Por Que No. My store is a 30 minute drive over the bridge in North West Portland."

Finn wears Bobo Choses pants and a Yo! top. Sarah wears Rudy Jude jeans and a Ganni blouse. Fleur wears a Tiny Cottons onesie.

"Light, bright, and colorful. We live in a corner house, so we get really good lighting when the sun comes out. It just has a really nice feeling to it."

"We did! The house is a traditional craftsman’s style, which we loved, but there was dark wood everywhere, panels on the walls, built-in bookshelves, and dark flooring. We ripped all the dark wood out ASAP to make the house feel lighter and more in line with our style. We sanded the floors down to the natural light wood and ripped out the fireplace, bookshelves, and kitchen, and replaced it with a simple cleaner design to house all of our colorful accessories!"

Mom rides are the best rides.

"A little. As we’re all home much more, we are working out what we can knock down to create more space. We are finally converting our basement into a usable space after talking about it for so long. But not really in any other way—home has always felt like a safe, relaxing, lovely space to be in and at and it still does."

Cracking open the beautifully illustrated Little Mouse's Matching Game.

A tiger rug marks the entrance to Fleur's new bedroom.

"Our daughter has just moved into her own room. During lockdown, we converted the roof and created a little space for her, after she slept in Finn's closet for the last year and a half, which was fine, but not ideal for the longterm!"

Colorful, modern pieces, many from Sarah's The Yo! Store.

"Surround yourself with things you love, make you happy, or remind you of something or someone. Most of our art or little objects have a story—they're collected from our travels, special pieces gifted to us, or photos of our families, etc. Color makes us happy!"

Stokke's Sleepi crib, which converts into a toddler bed. 

The built-in shelves of our dreams! Filled with toys from The Yo! Store.

Big brother Finn posting up in his little sister's room.

"I decorated my son's room when I was about 8 months pregnant and convinced we were having a girl, so I decked the whole thing out in gold polka dot wallpaper from Juju Papers—not just one wall but the whole thing. Turns out we had a boy, but he still loves the gold polka dot wallpaper and so do we 6 years later!"

A beautiful collection of books, including National Parks of the USA, When We Walked on the Moon, This is Britain, Poo Bum, The Color Monster, Amazing Facts About Baby Animals, The Bat Book, Haunted House, Dragons Love Tacos, Rosie Revere Engineer, and Everyone Poops. Check out YoPortland.com for more colorful and fun kids' book suggestions.

"The outdoors! It's amazing to live somewhere where you can drive an hour to the mountains and be in the snow, or head down to the coast (always cold, just the way we like it) in over an hour. It's been great to explore with the kids outdoors."

IKEA's classic Kura bunk bed, surrounded by stuffies.

"I think the next stop for us would be England. We're lucky to live here, but we also love the thought of settling back in England. Both my husband and I are from England and the kids have dual passports."

The bright and cheerful kitchen space.

"We spend a lot of time in Mount Tabor, so close to our house. It's a huge park for hours of exploring the trails, scootering, or running about. Mount Hood is amazing for snow adventures and the Oregon coast is the best to explore and so beautiful."

"One of my current favorite pieces that I plead with the kids not to ride/throw balls at is our giraffe from Hello Good Morning, which is inside Cargo in Portland. It has been ridden and had balls thrown at it, so I moved it up high for now, but I’d be upset if they broke it, as it's one of a kind from Mexico. Another favorite is the wooden anteater—a memory and gift from when I lived in Venezuela, our Steve Powers poster that my husband bought me for our 1 year wedding anniversary, and our colorful ceramics dinnerware by the lovely Alexandria Cummings."

Bud vase by Heath Ceramics, candle and holder from The Yo! Store.

"YES! For so long!"

"Trying new experiences together and seeing new experiences through their eyes, the awe and wonder. Exploring new paths together. Seeing the brother and sister bond is the best thing ever. Also, the little things like holding hands when walking round the block, watching movies together, chatting on our bike rides about nothing and everything."

"That’s a hard one, and one I try not to overthink it, as there has been so much to be nervous about. There are things that make me anxious, of course, but I try to deal with those feelings when they come up. Some things you can’t control, which I’ve learnt to let go or at least try."

"My 5-year-old son is Finley Tabor, although we call him Finn or Finnie. We had to give a nod to our favorite place in his name. And our 1-year-old is Fleur Marley-Mae. At 2 days old with no name, we decided that she was our Petite Fleur, so we landed there and it's perfect for her! Marley was a name that was a close second, so we added that at the last minute. Fleur is more of a common name in Europe, but not really here. Most people we meet pronounce it 'floor,' so she might want to change it when she's older!"

"We’re just very grateful for our 2 healthy babies. It’s lovely having a boy and girl, but it wouldn’t have mattered to us. We had some complicated fertility issues, so we were told multiple times the chances of actually having babies of our own was very slim, but here we are (after a lot of needles and therapy, cause that shit is hard!) with two amazing kids.  With IVF everything is A LOT, so we wanted to have our babies sex as a surprise, one thing just for us."

Sarah wears Rudy Jude jeans and a Rachel Comey sweater.

"I grew up in Kent, which is an hour from London. I have 3 sisters and one older brother and I’m slap bang in the middle. I shared a room with my 3 sisters, which I loved. It was always chaotic with 7 of us in the house, but we also always had someone to play with (or argue with). We lived on a busy road close to the town, but we had a big garden and spent a lot of time outside. My mum was a teacher and worked full-time to support us. She paid the mortgage and cooked all our meals and worked full time and had 5 kids—a super woman. She taught us how to be independent from an early age to help out around the house, which I hated at the time but can also see how important it was now. I have so much respect for her now that I have my own kids. How did she do it all?! We are all really close in age. My mum had my older brother at 30 and my youngest sister at 37!"

"My dad was very spontaneous and would take us up to London to see the free street performances in Covent Garden,  walk the galleries, movies at the iconic Barbican Cinema, camping after school on a Friday, or canoeing on a Sunday. None of these things cost a lot of money (gas money really or a cinema ticket), but my dad has always (and still does) have a real sense of adventure and 'just do it' attitude—which I’m really trying to mimic with Finn! I didn’t realize how much scheduling and packing you have to do (or maybe you don’t?!) to actually go camping on a whim, find somewhere to fish (when you know anything about fishing in the first place), etc., but it’s been really fun figuring these things out with my son together this last year as he’s got older and I’ve got more confident! A trait inspired by my own upbringing."

"We are still figuring things out as our kids get older and we absolutely disagree on some things, but we try to figure it out together. It’s important for us to listen, encourage, and praise—the basics really. I think going through a few years of IVF set us up with some lessons about ourselves and each other. Of course we set boundaries, but sometimes forget to follow through on things, so as I said we are still figuring it out. We take a lot of cues from the kids—if they are happy, we all are. If they are out of sorts, we know tomorrow’s a new start."

"Finn is 5 and a massive Lego fan, he builds a lot. He loves being outside and is really into riding his bike and just started snowboarding, which has been so amazing to see him on the mountains. Fleur loves all of the books, she is so sweet sitting in her little chair or your lap looking at all the picture books and pointing at all the pictures. But also she wants to do anything that Finn does. She’s constantly annoying him with ‘helping him’ build Legos. He is her favorite person."

"I didn’t think we would have another, but it’s so amazing Fleur is here. She’s such a gift to our family and the most loving, funny baby. Her favorite thing to say is 'huggie' and then hug all of us. Being a family of 4 completely changed us and we felt super stretched at times, argued more, and went back to zero sleep, but those feelings passed. We made it through! So, my advice is, things get better, sleep comes back, the sibling bond outweighs all the other stuff."

"My friends are my best resource, and WhatsApp is my go-to. I'm still super tight with my friends who I met at school when I was 12, and now we have kids of all different ages. We regularly WhatsApp—sometimes weekly, mostly daily. It’s unedited, non-judgmental and the best, honest advice. I also have my mum WhatsApp crew here, so I have some good resources I can tap into."

"My older sister, who is a twin mum, my younger sister, who is a single mum (and absolutely incredible), then of course my mum—the strongest, funniest woman I know, who raised 4 resilient, strong women."

"We’ve tried it all. We say one thing and do another. I give up."

"I started Yo! when I moved to Portland 10 years ago. I took a 6-week business course at Mercy Corps here in Portland called Business Foundations and was really into it. I stayed behind to ask all the questions, did all my homework, and came out with a business plan, and the boring legal stuff you need—permits, bank accounts, etc. I had my first store Yo Vintage in downtown Portland from 2012 to 2015, and closed it to go online (and have my first baby), then rebranded completely to The Yo! Store in 2016 and opened as a women’s, kids, and lifestyle store inspired by being a new mum."

"The biggest challenge for so many small business owners has to be the constant unpredictably every week. In March I cancelled all our orders, closed everything down, and panicked about what was next. I was online before the pandemic, so we just tried to adapt, but we were literally making it up week by week, which I still feel like we are doing. We pissed people off with our constant changing of store hours and requests (we had people calling us rude for asking them to sanitize and use masks, etc.). When you think you have one thing sorted, something else comes up. I've felt so stretched mentally and physically like so many small business owners, but I’ve also connected to so many amazing small business owners during this time too, and found comfort in others. We set up Zoom calls, email chains, and lots of DMs asking questions. That feeling of not being alone helps massively. Community over competition!"

"Our silver lining has absolutely been our amazing community that has kept us in business—really going out of their way to shop local, remember us when buying a gift, tagging us on social media, and telling their friends about us. We have also been able to continue to give back even more this year than before to non-profits with the support of our community and suppliers."

Sarah wears a Ganni dress and Loeffler Randall boots.

"I studied Teaching with Art and Design in Liverpool at 18-22 years old, then taught kids in London (and Venezuela) from 22 -26, then decided I wanted to move into fashion, trend forecasting, and buying. I was already buying and selling vintage during this time on eBay, as I've always loved vintage and thrifting. I gave up teaching and started working at a fashion company (my sister already worked there, so I was able to get my foot in the door) doing trend research, buying vintage for inspiration for the designers. They would rework/redesign a vintage dress, then send it off to production, then it would be for sale in Topshop/Asos/Primark a few weeks later. It was the most fun job, but also the pay was rubbish, so I was working in a pub (shout out to the Palm Tree in Hackney!) at the same time, and went back to teaching one day a week to pay my rent. It was really fun and felt good to do something else I loved."

"In my late 20s, I met Charlie and a year later we were living in Portland for his job. I worked for my old company buying vintage (Portland used to have the best vintage spots) and sending it back when I moved here. From there I had a few other contacts for other fashion brands and I would buy vintage for them and charge them by the day. That led to buyers flying in from London to shop vintage in Portland and me charging them a daily rate to show them where to shop and help. I did the business course I previously mentioned, then opened Yo Vintage a little bit later as I started to make friends and they encouraged me to stop sending all the good vintage back to London and sell it here, so that’s what I did. I found a space downtown for cheap rent and here I am 10 years later, just with another store and a different/same concept—selling things I love."

"It's been a ride and we are still going! I’ve felt incredibly stretched but also my kids have kept me so grounded. It’s just been constant adapting."

"I know a lot of the small business owners locally, and we check in with each other from time to time about advice or how it’s really going. I think someone once said to me running a business is like the saying 'smoke and mirrors' and it does feel like that! You look at someone's Instagram or website and think 'whoa, they have this all figured out,' but then you talk to them IRL and get the real scoop."

You can shop Yo!'s stellar kids' book collection at YoPortland.com.

"The three kids brands on my radar right now are Petite Ganache, based in Rotterdam (but she ships—email her!). We've become Insta-buddies over my love of her designs and I bought a pair of her amazing printed pants for my daughter and hope to stock her at Yo! one day. Also, the California-based Yay for You Baby—everything is made from vintage or deadstock fabric and they have the best onesies. I love this concept that everything is made new again, a new life! And Portland-based Moon Babe Blankets, which are sweet for babies or kids to build forts with!"

"I have always loved print and color, but I think (!?) I've toned it down as I've got older. Although sometimes I can't help it and will put on a leopard dress with my zebra-print Nikes! Leopard print has always been my neutral, so I'm always wearing something leopard (same as my kids). My go-to pieces are my Rachel Comey sweaters and some Ganni leopard."

"I had a real identity crisis as a first-time mum, with my body changing and figuring out what you can and can’t wear breastfeeding. The second time around I wore what I wanted and cared less about whipping my dress up in public—biker shorts were my best friend! I do feel more confident in myself now in my 40s, maybe I’ve worked out what suits my body shape without forcing it."

"My skin got a little rough after 40. There is an amazing facialist here in Portland called Marywynn and I just do what she tells me to do—exfoliate, cleanse, moisturize (so many steps that I forget), but she does these great at-home facial boxes now, so I’ll email her or grab one of those to-go when my face feels super rubbish."

"I started Megaburn Pilates when Fleur was about 4 months, as my body felt so weak and sore. I just couldn’t bounce back into running or spinning or anything I did pre-Fleur without my hips or back hurting. It felt so frustrating. Someone recommended Pilates to help my core and get stronger. I love those ladies and that community—I have never felt so welcomed and supported as I have with them. Doing those classes has really helped my mental health and made me feel more like me. I miss them. I love hiking when I can and then Cody for good times on the Peloton."

"I love taking a bath and reading a trashy magazine to zone out, or putting on my headphones (I still can’t find my missing earbud) and walking up to Mount Tabor, listening to the BBC or a podcast. I get so much energy from being with my friends, but I'm finding different ways to do that now, either hiking or front porch hangs. Pre-pandemic, 'me time would have been a massage at Loyly. It's the best! Also, dinner treats (takeout or outside dining) at Navarre or Luce, and drinks at Angel Face or Away Days."

"Something that has come up for me is having to let some stuff go as I really can’t do it all without something or someone getting neglected. I have total mum guilt that I haven’t had enough time with the kids one week, or hardly spoken to my husband another week. Or walked the dog. And the house being a total mess—all of the things! One thing that has been working for us is actually planning our week and writing it down instead of just talking about it. Penciling out time for Charlie for his time, 1-on-1 time with Finn and Fleur, 'me' time (walks or home workouts), times and days I’m at the store and times I’ll be home, kids activities or planning a beach weekend—little things to look forward to."

"It has been a massive eye opener to learn and navigate difficult conversations as a mum, friend, and as an employer. New conversions with my son that we haven't had before and figuring out answers together and acknowledging issues that I don't know the answer to right away, but being honest with him that I’ll come back to it when I do know. Trying not to mute uncomfortable conversations with him (or myself), but acknowledge them and revisit them. It's been a massively important year of growth and change—something as a family we are committed to."

"It's ok not to be ok. Take time off your phone. Be more present. Call my mum and dad more. At-home date nights."

Keep following along with Sarah, Yo!, and her family over at @theyostore on Instagram and YoPortland.com.