Lockdown turns an inspiring labour of love into a thriving business

The Covid-19 pandemic changed, and still affects, the way most do business.

But that break from office life resulted in husband and wife John and Kerry Celeste (accompanied by Assistant/Office Chief/Head Honcho Simon the cat) turning a long running passion for photography into a highly successful side business.

Cactus & Lime is the place to go if you’re searching for trendy printable wall art that’ll refresh your home décor in an instant.

The Etsy store was originally launched in 2018 but as busy owners of thriving, Newcastle-upon-Tyne based web design and SEO agency Onit Web Solutions Ltd, the Celestes had very little time to dedicate to the establishment of Cactus & Lime during the early years. That was until lockdown hit…

“Both myself and Kerry have always loved travel. We regularly visit the USA –  our exploration of the Wild West even inspired the name of our Etsy store. Over the years, we’ve amassed quite the photography collection, and with people continually complementing our photographs, we thought, why not share them! Lockdown gave us the time to tinker with Cactus & Lime, and finally put our prints out there. In fact, our little side business kept me sane, and it has really started to take off!” said John Celeste, Owner, Photographer and Creator at Cactus & Lime.

Cactus & Lime now boasts a 442-print strong collection, all of which are available to purchase as digital downloads. The store has made 795 sales to customers all over the globe to date. Cactus & Lime has also received rave reviews, giving it the coveted status of a 5-star store.

Their growing collection of printable wall art and digital prints sports a myriad of images, ranging from the wild west shots their fans know and love them for to botanical prints and more abstract pieces.

“The USA fascinates us. The country has so many incredible scenes to document so needless to say, we’ll never be stuck for inspiration when creating wall art for our customers. The photography we produce however is first and foremost a labour of love – and we hope that shows in our prints! It’s exciting to see our art in other people’s homes, with our prints quick, easy and affordable ways to spruce up any space,” concluded Owner, Photographer and Designer Kerry.