Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy Bierstedt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Amy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Being a business owner is hard. Also being the maker, and having to create all of your own merchandise is harder. Being a single mom on top of that, and being a single income household, is that toughest thing I’ve ever done.

A few years ago I was a vendor at a local church’s women’s conference. Some vendor friends asked if I could go with them into the conference, during one of the last sessions of the day. One was going to get up on stage and speak about the importance and wonderful-ness of shopping small. Of course I would go support her! (But this all ended up being a lie, a cover for what they were really up to!)

At some point the speakers were announcing they were about to give away the “Single Mom of the Year award.” And my friend’s face popped up on a video on the big screen! She was saying the nicest words about the single mom that she nominated for the honor. It was a wonderful interview. And then I realized she had nominated me; she was talking about me.

Then a photo of myself and my boys were on the screen, and an usher was grabbing me to take me onto the stage. And the rest is a blur. I was bawling… as my friend gave me a bouquet and put a crown on my head, as the speaker listed all of the incredible gifts that were being given to me by local businesses!

We spent the next year enjoying the gift cards for gas and restaurants, hiking at state parks with our new membership card, and having a blast at Sea World with the season passes.

That was an incredible experience! That was when I felt really seen. That was when I felt true kindness.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Amy. Texan since birth. Mom since 2003. To two boys that are growing into fine young men. And even a pet mom to a parrot and a tortoise. With a list of jobs and careers under my belt. I’ve been a preschool teacher, veterinary technician, even a children’s portrait photographer.

From Scratch Farm
When I decided to become a maker, it was because I needed to make a change and wanted to make a difference. I was really taking a second look at the ingredients in our products, and knew I could make them with better, organic, non-toxic ingredients. I also took a look at all of the plastics in our home, and knew I could package in more eco-friendly options. Since 2013, I’ve kept this goal and promise. I even still make everything myself.

Handmade on Main
When I decided to go all in on a handmade shop, it was because several makers had joined me in my space, and a grumbling inside of me was happening. Suddenly it was my job to link arms with, support, rise with, and cheer for the handmade community. So I found the best of the best in our area, and put them under one roof. Our shop is now a cute, welcoming, unique corner of our Boerne downtown.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Our whole team was resilient! And we all pivoted!

When covid struck, our store was very small. It was just my From Scratch Farm home, bath, and body products, Doubleside Toffee Company’s toffee treats, Bear & Roo Candle Company’s wax melts and candles, and Crazy Plant Lovee’s houseplants and cacti. And our clientele was also small.
We knew it was going to take some finesse, bravery, and zest to make it through this unknown!
So we invested in an e-commerce website, beefed it up with all of our products, and started offering shipping, local delivery, and shop entryway pick-up with online orders.
This investment has served us well! To this day, our customers still love being able to pick up from our shop or having their orders just show up at their door.

Can I talk about moments I’m proud of???

1 I’ve got two Best of the City awards under my belt, from San Antonio Magazine. My salve won for “best natural product” several years back. And in 2021 our shop won “best maker co-op,” recognizing us for our sense of community after covid.
2 Shop Across Texas awards their “Best Store” title to a few shops in major towns, every year in our state. We’ve been one of Boerne’s shops to receive this honor the last three years!
3 And one thing I’m most proud of is usually my fun fact in conversations. I founded a national holiday! In 2017 I realized that we were celebrating Pizza Day, Take Your Dog to Work Day, Dessert Day, Margarita Day, Take a Hike Day, etc. But there was no holiday to shine a light on the art of handmade or talented makers. So I did my research. The easy part was turning in an application and making an appeal. Turns out the hard part was competing with thousands of other people and businesses for acceptance. But I received my declaration later that year. And we’ve been celebrating National Handmade Day on the first Saturday of every April ever since!

National Handmade Day (this year falling on April 5th) is an amazing opportunity for makers to tell their story, for crafters to get together, for handmade shops to highlight products, for artisans to do a giveaway or have sales, for customers to post about their purchases or give five-star reviews for their local makers. To highlight the uniqueness of handmade!

Contact Info:

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