We were lucky to catch up with Becky Saric recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Becky, thanks for joining 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?

The small details and meaning behind my business has always been a priority from the beginning. Right before the pandemic hit, my parents lost their house to an electrical fire and it was deemed a total loss. It was also during the time that I just so happened to be creating my small business plan. They lived on the corner of Oak Street and Elizabeth Street in a smaller town in Wisconsin. It dawned on me that 15 years ago my sister and I briefly talked about opening a vintage resale shop and she had the idea of naming it “Oak and Elizabeth”. Well, that never happened as we realistically needed steady jobs during that time of our lives. Fast forward to 15 years later, the only business name that made any sense seeing how we had just lost the family house was “Oak and Elizabeth”. I jokingly asked my sister “Hey Rachel, we ‘re never opening up that resale shop, right?!” and the rest was history.

Becky, 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?

While I did go to esthetician school at age 20, once graduated I never pursued it as a career but my love for beauty products still remained strong. I ended up going to trade school and received a degree in healthcare admin and worked at a hospital then eventually worked in the recruiting field. I had my son almost 5 years ago and after a short 3 months post maternity leave, I decided to resign and stay home with him. That’s when the pandemic hit and I had a whole new perspective on life. I had always dreamt of having my own business and being my own boss but that was literally just a DREAM, there’s no way that I could actually execute this…or could I? I kept asking myself “What do I have to lose?” and “Why NOT take a risk?” “What if it all works out?” I mean, realistically this was going to be a very part time business anyways. Months later I invested my stimulus check into “Oak and Elizabeth” and 8 months later the business became full time. Fast forward to 2.5 years later, I am opening my own retail studio and hosting village makers markets.

Most of my knowledge has been obtained through researching products, online videos, and experimenting….ALOT of experimenting and testing. From the beginning I knew that I wanted to sell sugar scrubs that I had created in my 20’s along with a variety of gift packages. From there I experimented making some of my other favorite self care products such as body butter, essential oil blends, and soy candles.

My past work experience has led me to where I am now in my mid 30’s. I am most proud of the way that I put myself out there. I am typically not a risk taker so this is a pretty big deal for me. I am by nature a planner and although a lot of the behind the scene work is planning, the overall risk especially in today’s economy, is huge.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy has been doing in person markets and putting myself out in the field even in the unknown. There are going to be times when your sales did not go as planned but I am telling you, something ALWAYS comes out of it even if it’s disguised. In my opinion, if you show up you will meet someone that will be a long time customer, gives your information to a friend, or meet someone that leads you in the direction of something that is a better fit.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

It’s OK to say NO and I had to learn to be comfortable saying it.

You aren’t going to be the right fit for every retail store or every public market. It’s important that I stay true to myself and my small business.

Contact Info:

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

Image Credits
Sara Sauer https://www.instagram.com/sarasauerphotography/ Jordyn https://www.instagram.com/smokephotography_/