We were lucky to catch up with BELINDA WEST recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, BELINDA thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
At a certain point, I realized that I could not continue my regular job and grow my business at the same time. I made the decision to quit/retire from my regular job and go with working the craft business fulltime. This would give me more time to create more products, sell at more craft shows and see what I could do. I have never minded working hard, and this would be something that I started from scratch. It was scary, but I knew I could do it if I just gave it a shot. The day that I retired from my regular job was March 1, 2020. I finished loading in at a show on Friday, March 13, 2020 and left to go gather up everything else that I would need for the show and get ready for the next day. When I got back to my house, I received an email stating that the show had been shut down due to Covid and that I would need to come back and load up all of my product and equipment. Driving back to the location, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had made the worst decision of my life in deciding to do this full time, and depend on it for income. By the time I had reloaded everything and was on my way back home, I was nearly in full panic mode. But something inside kept telling me that it would all work out. By the time I had unloaded my truck, I had calmed down. With everything shutting down, I became grateful that I would be at home and not have to worry about being out in the public. On Monday morning, March 16, 2020, I began shifting my finances and coming up with a plan for the next 2 months, just in case. My phone rang. It was my doctor’s office. They wanted to know if I could make face masks. They couldn’t get any and needed some that could be washed in hot water and re-used. They brought me a sample that afternoon. They needed at least 100 as soon as possible. That was the first of many calls that I received. I sold and/or donated almost 1,500 face masks in 2020. Even though there were no shows until late June of 2020, I survived. I realized that if I had not retired, I would not have had the time to make the much needed face masks. When I originally started doing the craft shows, I had hoped that after 10 years I would be able to retire from my regular job. It actually only took 5. I will always be glad that I took the risk when I did. Someone once said “Timing is everything”. They were definitely right!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For those of you that do not know me, I am One Crazy Grandma, and I make useful and unique gifts for everyone. I started out making hand knit scarves and cloth grocery tote bags. Then a friend suggested that I try making microwave bowl caddies. I had not ever heard of them, but checked it out and tried a few. Since that time I have made and sold more than 10,000 of them. I also make and sell Potato Bags, Tortilla Warmers, Wine Gift Bags and Pan Handlers. At this time, I still make everything myself. I have booths in several of the Painted Tree Marketplace stores across the country. My products are featured in the General Store at the State Fair of Texas. And now I only do 3 shows per year. This is so that I can keep up with product demand. I try very hard to make sure that my products are something that I would be proud to give to a friend. This is how I see my customers. They are friends that I may or may not have ever actually met, but I want them to be happy with my products.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
While the large chain stores are great for getting things you need, you need to at least consider craft shows and places like Painted Tree Marketplace for the things you want, whether it be for yourself or for someone else. The absolute joy of finding the perfect unique item is something that everyone should experience.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
One of the best thing about creating is when someone picks up something that you have made and absolutely loves it. The other side of that coin is when they come back again to see what they can find.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.onecrazygrandma.com
• Facebook: @onecrazygrandma1