We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jill Forquer . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jill below.

Jill, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

When I think of a nest I think of items specifically picked out from various places which are then used to strengthen and secure the nest.

In 2013 when I moved to the small town of Kane, PA I only knew a handful of people besides my soon to be husband. I made it my missions to “ build my nest”. I spent the next few years completing DIY home Projects, meeting new friends, working within the community and growing our family by adding 3 amazing kids. All of these experiences built and strengthened what I would call the foundation of our nest.

After our third child was born I decided to stop working within our community and to stay at home with “our three little birds”. During that time my husband and I began our homesteading journey. We now own goats that we milk to make our own soaps, alpacas which produce wool for yarn and raise chickens for fresh eggs to eat. As we continued to expand our homestead I felt the need to share our homemade products with others and decided to start my own small business.

While I was brainstorming ideas for my businesses name I kept coming back to the word “nest”. I knew it had to be in the name. It did not take long for Allegheny to pop into my head because we live right next to the Allegheny National Forest. Allegheny Nesting is not just my business name but is also a representation of all of the people, experiences, animals and products that I have specifically picked out to make up “my nest”. The three trees in my one logo represent my three kids and the trees, goat and alpaca in my second logo represent our homestead.

Jill, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hello! My name is Jill. I am a mom of 3, small business owner and homesteader.

The goal of my small business is to make and sell products that make “your nest” feel like I home. Every item that you add to your home has a purpose and I want to make items for you that make you feel happy and are useful. Whether it is an engraved charcuterie board with your name on it, a candle that fills your home with a feel good fragrance, an engraved photo of a family pet, a handmade bar of my goat milk soap, a tour book about Kane, a nursery sign for your first born , an alpaca coloring book or a simple highland cow welcome sign that makes you laugh.

All of the items I make are made on my homestead and inside of my home with my three little ones running around me or helping. I am a busy mom with a life full of 3 kids under the age of 6, 18 chickens, 4 alpacas and 5 goats. My days are full of milking animals, playing, caring for my kids and our animals, woodworking and taking adventures in our community. I love to involve my kids in whatever projects I am working on and to utilize every moment to teach them something new. While we are out exploring our community I try to promote other local small businesses and makers. I have a new book coming out this fall which is a tour book of Kane. Within it you can help my daughter Allison Rose find her chicken who is exploring all of the small businesses in Kane. Follow me on social media and on my website to see what new products and adventures my kids and I are getting into!
This year I will be learning what to do with my alpaca wool, designing and printing a new alpaca coloring book, enhancing the detail of the woodworking products I sell and making new goat milk soap!

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

In 2020 I quit my full time job to stay at home with my three kids who were all under the age of 3 at the time. I wanted to enjoy life with our kids and focus on growing our homestead. After a few months of staying home I decided that I wanted to start my own side hustle to sell products and make extra money for hay/fun things for the kids and I to do.

I started selling homemade crafts and handmade goat milk soap from our milking goat Annabelle. Most of my signs were made with paint, wood and vinyl. My items started selling quickly and after looking into ways to improve the quality of my signs I found the makeblock laser. After talking with my husband we decided it was worth the investment to have even if I didn’t make much money from it.

That one laser was a game changer for my business! As soon as I started using the laser my sales jumped by over 75%. With the laser I was able engrave and personalize charcuterie boards, photos, nursery signs, and more. I also learned how to make wooden earrings, ornaments, keychains and magnets. All of this from one laser.

In 2021-2022 my side hustle started to make a steady flow of income that was not yet comparable to my full time job but close. With that income I was able to invest in another laser, invest money into collaborations with other makers and also add a shed to our homestead for all of my business needs. I shared all of this on social media while I grew. People began following more. I attribute gaining followers to my in edited live videos of growing a homestead and business with fails, trials and successes included. People like seeing things grow and enjoy seeing items made.

In 2022-2023 I really focused on networking. I started selling my wooden earrings and engraved charcuterie boards in local wineries and artwork stores. I branched out to park stores and flower nurseries and started to sell there as well. I also began networking and marketing for my children’s book. The networking, collaborating and sharing on social media were all big milestones for me.

In 2023 we added alpacas to our herd. I can truly say that by adding alpacas and simply sharing their photos and live videos that I gained followers and business. I now host alpaca art events and people come and do crafts on our homestead simply to look at them.

It is amazing what you can do to make a full time income from home. Since 2020 to now I can share that I am making a full time income from what was meant to be a hobby.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

In 2022 my daughter came to us panicked and said “Mom, Have you seen my chicken?” After searching endlessly for the chick we came to the conclusion it was gone. Instead of telling our four year old what unfortunately might have happened to the baby chick we decided to make up a fun story about the chicken going off on a “tour of Kane” as we called it. Every time we would go to town we would tell Allison that her chicken was in one of the small businesses. Last summer I decided that Allison’s chickens story would actually make a great children’s book. This is where the marketing started. My three kids and I walked all throughout our small town and pitched our story to the small business owners. After sharing a lot of laughs and a lot of steps with my three kids under 6 we had a long list of businesses that agreed to be in the book.
The next phase of marketing the book came to advertising that the book was coming. What better way to do it than a stuffed chicken? My friend Shelly Dyne made us a hand crocheted chicken stuffed animal that we have been hiding for almost a year in various small businesses. By using this one stuffed chicken I have been able to not only advertise my book but also have been able to promote each of the businesses that the chicken has hid in.
I never expected to write a book but with a fun idea about a lost chicken, a lot of walking and talking we are doing it! My book comes out Oct. 2023 and it would not have been possible without the support of our small town and with creative marketing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.alleghenynesting.com
• Instagram: @alleghenynesting
• Facebook: @alleghenynesting
• Twitter: @alleghenynesting

Image Credits
Renee Price at Unscripted Studios