Meet The Team

Meet the team

Kate Beavis: Managing Director

Kate started out in the vintage world as a collector and enthusiast. She bought 1960s mini dresses as a teenager, teaming them up with Red or Dead shoes and wild hair. Calming down in her twenties she started to collect homewares after discovering a piece of Mdina glass in a local charity shop. Now, happily married with a home full of mid century, she owns the National Vintage Wedding Fair as well as Your Vintage Life, with her husband Adam.

Your Vintage Life launched in 2008 as an online shop, a regular on the fair circuit and a daily blog. Winner of Best Online Shop at the first National Vintage Awards as well as Website of the Month in Period Living, they received regular press with Homes and Antiques, Vintage Life and Homes and Gardens. They quickly gained customer loyalty worldwide as well as regularly providing items for the BBC, London theatres, the Retail Trust, Cath Kidston and even to G Plan! Described as "a one stop shop for charming and unusual vintage, which will bring style and individuality to your home" (Period Living), "adding a touch of romantic 1950s chic" (Time Out) and "a fantastic website fulfilling all your vintage needs" (Vogue), Your Vintage Life has enabled Kate to branch out to enjoy other vintage projects. To see their press portfolio click here.

In 2013, Kate's first book "Style Your Modern Vintage Home" was published through FW Media. It takes the readers through from the 1920s to 1990s, focusing on buying, restoring and styling. With a foreword by Paloma Faith, a top 30 ranking on Amazon and selling worldwide, Kate has continued to write for various publications including Vintage Life, Metro, Reloved and V&OAK.

She is also the editor of her local vintage site, Vintage Bedford and MK as well as the company director of The National Vintage Wedding Fair. Alongside her husband she runs wedding fairs across the UK and is the editor of a  wedding blog. In 2015 she launched the first UK subscription box, Unique Bride Club aimed at bringing the wedding fair directly to the bride.

As a business consultant, she advises vintage businesses as one half of Vintage Academy in one day workshops as well as to indie businesses through her freelance role. Focusing on her 20 years retail experience she mentors on branding, marketing and social networking. In 2015, Vintage Academy launched the digital business trade publication, Vintage Trade Gazette.

Kate has appeared on television and radio, most recently sharing her buying tips on The Lorraine Show (ITV) and  winning The French Collection for Channel 4: where she bought industrial and vintage furniture in France, upcycled it at home and sold for a profit in Bristol, UK. She has also been interviewed for Channel 4 News as an expert on vintage weddings.

Described by her peers as "vintage perfection with a great eye for detail" (Catwalk Threads), as "having the keen eye of the super stylish" and the ability to "make retro interiors appear fresh and current with her fresh eye and clever writing" (Betty Pamper), a "genuine vintage enthusiast" (Keeley Harris, Discover Vintage) and having "a great eye for vintage" (Homes and Antiques magazine).

Kate loves fashion and is often seen wearing a 1950s dress on the school run. Her vintage handbag is the envy of many and was even featured in Homes and Antiques magazine. She believes in living her life with integrity, ensuring her handbag always matches her shoes and starts her days with a hot lemon and ginger!

Adam Beavis: Managing Director

Adam, also known as Mr YVL, manages Your Vintage Life alongside Kate. His focus is on buying and restoring mid-century furniture; he is often to be found with a pot of Danish teak oil in his hand! A carpenter by trade; his skills are utilised to the max, advising Kate with her restoration tips often written about within the blog and book.

Adam is the calm member of the team, keeping Kate’s feet on the ground ensuring their business focus is on trading at all times.

He has been styling his home with vintage finds since his early twenties, loving the late 1960s/early 1970s era. Kate couldn’t believe her eyes on viewing his home for the first time: think flower power curtains, a cream vinyl bar as his DJ booth, retro prints on the wall and a worrying obsession with the colour orange.

Adam is a retro man, with a wardrobe full of 1960s mod polo shirts and a collection of 1970s platform shoes that puts David Bowie to shame. He drives classic cars as well as the work van, and has lovingly owned his 1956 Morris Oxford for 20 years. He loves a bargain, likes to make do and mend, grow vegetables, talk to his chickens before relaxing with a glass of golden ale!