We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allysia Edwards a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Allysia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?

Covid was obviously a very terrible thing for most people. But for me, it launched my career. For many years, making jewelry was just a side gig. When the pandemic hit I couldn’t exactly find a job, so I decided to take a chance on myself. I was able to turn my jewelry business side hustle into my full time career.

Allysia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Allysia Edwards and I am the face behind Allysia Brooke Designs. I am a silversmith and have been making jewelry for a little over 9 years. Jewelry is something I have always loved, for as long as I can remember. It was something I always wanted to learn but never had the time. Eventually the timing worked out and I was able to take a few classes. The minute I first soldered one piece of metal to another, I fell in love. My teacher and I got along really well and she invited me over a few times to make jewelry in her home studio. I learned the basics from her and just grew from there. It came pretty naturally to me. But it was always a side gig. I was a bartender living in San Diego and never believed I could survive off of making jewelry. In 2019 I moved back to my hometown of Durango CO to take care of my 95 year old grandfather. Shortly after he passed, Covid hit. I wasn’t sure what to do with my life. So I decided to take a chance on myself. and I was able to turn my jewelry business into my career. My skill set has grown tremendously since then and I sort of found my style. I like to call it Art Deco with a Southwestern twist. All though not everything I make falls in that category. I get bored of repetition, so I jump around a bit. You will also find a lot of crescent moons in my work. I definitely have a dark, witchy side to me as well. I love creating Halloween and Valentines collections. And my work is very clean… for the most part!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

During the pandemic I was able to get a very decent sized amount of unemployment back pay and some more unemployment going forward. I was also living rent free during Covid, in my grandfathers house after he passed. So I lived off a small amount of money each month and invested everything else into the business. I bought a whole new set up for markets. I have a very intricate and flashy display and there’s a lot to it. I also bought new tools and more materials. I invested in my website and started advertising via social media.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My life changed in a huge way when I decided to move back to CO. I left Durango when I was 12 and spent the following 29 years in San Diego CA. Those were my formative years. That’s where I made my best friends. It was a different life style. I ran a record label in my twenties and went on tours with bands. Then I dove into bartending and did that for almost 15 years. There was a lot of going out. A lot of late nights. An endless amount of bands to see. Ridiculous adventures. But I was exhausted from that lifestyle. I wanted out of bartending very badly. It takes a toll on your mental health. The opportunity to move back to my home town and take care of my grandfather came about. I had to think about it for a good few months, but when I weighed the options it’s what made the most sense. So I packed everything up and left everything I knew and related to behind. I moved back to a small mountain town where the only peopleI knew were my parents friends. It was one of the scariest and loneliest things I’ve ever done. But good things came out of it and certain parts are way more rewarding. I also LOVE being in bed by 10pm instead of 3 or 4 am! I don’t think Durango will be my forever home. I think it’s just part of the business plan. Obviously you never know what will happen. I’m just trying to trust life will take me where I’m supposed to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.allysiabrookedesigns.com
• Instagram: @allysiabrookedesigns
• Facebook: Allysia Brooke Designs

Image Credits
Allysia Edwards