We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Pamela Morse Garland a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Pamela , thanks for joining us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?
First, I have to say that my friends, and friends of friends, have been so supportive of my new business. As soon as I opened my little shop on Etsy, I had many orders from friends of the past, even my most lovely 4th grade friend whom I hadn’t had contact with in decades. But my first sale to an unknown was at my very first festival. It was a gorgeous day, I had no idea what I was doing or if I would even make a sale. And then this lovely young woman ran to my table- she had spotted a threader earring that I had made with these gorgeous, tiny, opaque, pumpkin-colored glass beads. Apparently she had been searching high and low for this very shade of orange for her fall-themed wedding.
It was such a special moment- making my first legit sale and being a tiny part of someone’s special occasion. Thinking back on it now, I’m daydreaming about making a full special occasions line.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I came to jewelry making in a round-a-bout way. I am a social worker by training and heart, and practiced for over 20 years. Then about 5 years ago I began my own mediation practice until Covid came around.
During the time of quarantine and working from home, dealing with weighty topics through work (and playing teacher’s aid to my 2 kiddos) I was looking for a creative outlet. I have always liked to make stuff- my house is full of all kinds of wood pieces, felt, glue guns. It’s like a maker faire in my basement. But I never felt like I was creative or artsy enough to do anything serious with it.
And then I saw the most gorgeous beaded bracelet. I’m a real sucker for jewelry.
I decided I could try to make it, which was so much harder than I imagined it would be. I kept at it. And then I decided to make a pair of earrings- the first was a disaster, but they gradually got better. As I continued on, people started commenting on my work and wanted a pair for themselves.
I’m a natural planner, super type-A and I don’t particularly enjoy taking chances, but for some reason, I just decided to keep leaning into it. I created a name and logo based off my father’s old business card to keep some familial symmetry. I took a lot of online courses about how to hand bead jewelry. I do a lot by trial and error but always from a place of loving what I’m making. A little Etsy shop turned into me applying to festivals, and then to local handmade stores. Some flops, some successes. And now, after a year and a half, I feel like I’ve found a bit of a stride.
What I hope to do is to continue making hand beaded jewelry, with high quality materials. I use Japanese glass seed beads, and 14k gold filled metals (not plate) because I want my customers to have pieces that will last, won’t tarnish and will be beloved for a long time.
Lots of people tell me to raise my prices to match up to similar products. But the truth is, I’d rather have more people buying something they love and I feel better charging what feels good based on cost and labor. Maybe it’s not the best business strategy but it works for me.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
I originally began selling my work on Etsy. It was so easy for a beginner. With very minimal time, users can easily open their shop and start listing. The trick is to pay attention to all of the questions in the listing and to understand how their search parameters work. That will allow more customers to find you. The downfall to using Etsy is really the cost. For me, as my inventory grew, it wasn’t particularly cost effective for me. The trade off is whether or not the ready-made audience is worth the cost of doing business on Etsy. I’m still working that one out.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
So far, building my customer base has come down to a few things: friends and family, word of mouth, festivals, and local handmade shops. At the launch of my business, I had great support from family and friends. As they wore my work out into the world, they essentially became walking billboards! So that started me off with a great first year. Those sales turned into repeat customers, who continued to share my website.
The most exciting for me has been the chance to participate in art/craft festivals around Atlanta. My kids are massive festival lovers (mostly for the veggie corn dogs) so we’ve been going for years. I had a very romantic notion of having a tent at a big festival and selling my wares. Turns out it’s so hard, and exhausting, but it is great fun and a great way to bring in new customers.
And then, of course, I’m so grateful to sell in a couple of local boutiques. Customers who really want and value handmade, local items can be introduced to all kinds of makers and artist in one space. While I don’t get a chance to meet or know who those customers are, they know my work and I appreciate their support.
I would love to say that Instagram had been great but I have yet to crack that code.
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