We were lucky to catch up with Alex Camacho recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alex, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?

Before I became a jewelry designer I worked in management at a variety of cosmetology schools and then ran the websales department for a international clothing retailer and wholesaler. The most important thing I learned was navigating through difficult customer interactions and communicate in a way that made them feel heard while also protecting the company. As you can imagine managing customer service for either business could present it’s difficulties, from the worst haircut imaginable to managing lost international deliveries, it gave me the patience and honed my communication style to set me up for success for my future business. Often times our best reviews mention our customer services, and I think that when we can value the experience our customers have with our brands just as much as the products we sell, that we can provide that assurance and confidence that so often lacks in the online market place. I love that my customers trust me, and I believe that is one reason they keep coming back.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Both of my parents are entrepreneurs and from an early age I was taught the value of work, making money and doing your job to the best of your ability. Now that I think back it’s kind of funny, my dad is a contractor who carved out a speciality in building hillside homes in Los Angeles and my mom is an Event Planner- now I build tiny things in wax and metal for special occasions that mark the moment. Each of them built their businesses from the ground up and it gave me the idea that anything was possible if the work ethic, determination and heart was there. I’ve always loved gemstones and jewelry but it wasn’t until I was working in the fashion industry that I thought It was something I could do. I remember the moment I had that spark, I was working in the showroom for the clothing brand I worked for (for any old punks or goths – you might remember Lip Service) and the stylist I was working with showed me the jewelry she was making, in all honesty my first thought was – “I could probably make something even cooler” – I know I know… not nice, but she went on to tell me that the jewelry district was just around the corner and I had an overwhelming sense of possibility. From there I began buying findings and pieces and putting found object jewelry together, soon after I did my first show, and while my jewelry was nowhere near “presentable” it showed me that this was something I could do. Now at the time I was dating Jo who is now my husband and runs the business with me. He lived in Baltimore and I lived in Los Angeles, he was about to open a record store and I had this feeling that in order to make us work the only option was to move and jump in head first, and while it was a hard one to make, it was this decision that would change the entire trajectory of my life. So i’m in Baltimore at the end of 2011 in the area of Hampden – and if you’re not familiar just think John Waters land. We just opened our record store and i’m sitting there putting jewelry together in the shop and our friend Clare walks in. We were talking a bit and I was lamenting about how I felt a bit stuck, I wanted to do more but I just didn’t know how, and she asks “why don’t you take classes at the Baltimore Jewelry center, it’s right down the street?” … well this was my first time even hearing about it. That very afternoon and looked it up and inquired about taking classes. This step would be the catalyst to what I do now. Call it kismet or being in the right place at the right time, but I had just missed the intro to metals class and the only class I could take (at my level) was a wax working and casting class with Shana Kroiz. In that class I learned the skills I have crafted into my own and what set’s my jewelry aside from others to this day. From that point on I was obsessed with being in the jewelry studio, I would spend hours upon hours taking new classes and working on projects. From forming, to etching, stone setting and more – I just took in everything I could. Every birthday or holiday my list consisted of jewelry making tools and supplies. I was still selling my old style of found object work, but I started incorporating my new skills and slowly overtime began to transform my business from a side hustle to a real life career. In 2015 we moved back to Los Angeles, I had two part time jobs working for other female business owners while trying to make Acid Queen happen. I made a website and invested in marketing and business classes. I remember the night I got my first big sale on my website, it was for something like $400 but I was OVER THE MOON, it was the sign that I could really do this. In 2017 I was struggling with how to get from point A (my business as a part-time job) to point B (my business as my full-time job). I hired a consultant who told me she believed I could make $100K a year and that was just mind boggling to me, but if she said it – maybe it was true. After that I found Flourish and Thrive academy which is a education based marketing business for Jewelry designers founded by Tracy Matthews. I remember sitting Jo down and saying “I feel like I have to do this, I need to give myself the chance to see if I can make it happen, we will try for 6 months and if it doesn’t work i’ll go back to work”. It’s now 8 years later and now Acid Queen is both Jo and my full time job, I am the front facing part of the business, I handle all the design work, stone setting, finishing, marketing, customer service and more, while Jo handles more of the backend work and production which includes managing orders, working with wholesale customers, soldering, post fabrication work and the list goes on. We have always worked as a team, I always tell people “we’ve been working together since the beginning of our relationship” and while that may not work for everyone, I think it has allowed us to confront and face challenges head on, working to communicate and fill in the spaces where the other one falls short. Its not always easy but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Throughout the years my skills have gotten better and i’ve weaved various jewelry techniques throughout my work, but the ethos of our brand has never changed; creating unique high quality one-of-a-kind jewelry, hand-crafted with the intention to inspire and empower each and every person who wears it. Our designs are rooted in everyday magic, inspired by the occult, fantasy, mythology, nature, and the metaphysical healing properties of stones. The goal is to create mini pieces of art that effortlessly become your go to everyday pieces. From large statement pieces that speak to your true power or everyday stacking rings, the pieces we create are designed to amplify your personal energy and connect you back to yourself. All of our pieces are created using a unique wax working technique i’ve developed over time that combines traditional metalsmithing techniques with wax work. Each piece is hand crafted and then cast into metal, we primarily sell sterling silver jewelry but work with bronze on occasion and even have a 14K Gold Collection called Ascension. We have a variety of made-to-order production collections which are available all the time with a 1-3 week production time and release quarterly one-of-a-kind collections focused around yearly themes. This year we are exploring Hecate’s Lair – the Greek Goddess associated with magic, witchcraft, the night, the moon and crossroads. We have had customers who have been with us for many years, building their collections one (or many) pieces at a time. The best and most rewarding feedback we receive is how our jewelry makes our customers feel, the compliments they get, the conversations they inspire and the connection they bring.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There has been many times that i’ve had to pivot while running our business, and it is my belief that what makes a good business owner is someone who is willing to make changes and try new things. Whether it be navigating through the pandemic, a necklace that didn’t sell as well as i’d hoped, or a variety of other challenges that small business and makers are faced with, the key is identifying the problem and making a change. It’s those who keep on trying to do the same thing expecting different results who’s businesses will inevitably fail. Change is not easy, but in most cases it’s necessary and it’s through change that we learn the most important lessons and are able to fix the problems we face in business- and in life.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

While our business got it’s start selling through our record store and in person at large Heavy Metal music festivals, when I finally decided to take the plunge and transition from side hustle to full-time, my main focus was on e-commerce. I just felt that with e-commerce I could reach more people – not to mention I have a marketing degree and love branding so all the marketing that goes into e-comm was what I had been training for. Which is why investing in a education with Flourish and Thrive made so much sense, because that’s exactly what their focus was. It’s not to say it doesn’t come with it’s struggles, there’s a lot of back-end work that needs to happen, and rather than having a physical store where you set-up your store for a flow and an experience, you have to do the same thing digitally that then flows through with products, shipping and delivery and even to the moment the customer opens your package. But no matter your approach, whether you started in person and are moving to e-comm or the other way around, what’s most important as a business owner is diversifying your revenue streams in the way that makes sense for your business and capitalizing on SEO built into some of the platforms available online. Whether you choose etsy, amazon or another platform, it has to fit your business rather than changing your business to fit it. But you know what they say about all your eggs in one basket, the same goes for your business. Most of our sales do come through our website, but we still have an etsy, we have a meta shop, we do wholesale, and a variety of in person events. It’s all about getting your brand in front of as many potential customers as possible while maintaining your branding consistently throughout. I always recommend having your own website and email list, but with that being able to utilize the SEO and visibility that a platform like etsy or amazon has is key to an overall strategy and helps to do the heavy lifting that not all small brands have access to.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acidqueenjewelry.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/acidqueenjewelry
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/acidqueenjewelry

Image Credits

Most of the photos I have taken on my own, two of the images were taken by Elisabeth O’Rourke and one of the Images (more fantasy one) is by Courtney Brooke Hall, I have permission to use these.