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

Camberly, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I was always the friend who people came to when they needed decorations for a party. This was at a time when everyone wanted to decorate with tissue paper pom poms. A friend approached me to make a lot of them for her wedding, as well as she wanted to have paper flowers above her sweets table. I made a small panel of paper flowers and textured paper items and it turned out pretty cute. I thought hey, I think that I could maybe turn this into a business, So early on it was mostly DIY type projects that brides didn’t have the artist skill to make themselves. But my business really took off once I created this one rental as a way to solve a problem for my best friend. She was getting married and loved her venue but, it had a mural that didn’t really vibe with her wedding design. I had just made a huge amount of paper flowers to be used for a backdrop in bridal fashion week in New York. I which I thought what if we made a stand alone flower wall to go in front of the mural? People could take photos in front of it, this was at the early stages of open photo booths. She loved the idea! That first paper floral background has turned into my most requested item 10 years later. It has transformed a lot since when I first made it as I have become a more skilled artist. But my Magnolia Wall as it is called now is one of my favorite parts of my business.

Camberly, 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?

Art has always been a part of who I am even from a young age. I very involved in the arts in middle and high school. I graduated from college with an art degree. My mother instilled a love a textiles and quality fabrics at a young age. I first made a name for myself in the wedding industry by selling high/couture wedding gowns. I made contacts in the wedding industry that way so when I started my business the primary focus was in the wedding world and expanded past that. I make rentable and custom art installation for wedding, events and businesses. One of the things I am most proud of is that the flowers I create are all cut out by hand and made with my own patterns.

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

Currently, I am at a pivoting point with my business. When you take down a rental backdrop at a wedding it tends to be a late night. Events can end between 10pm-12am, which means sometimes depending on the location I am not getting back home until 1:30-2am. As, Ive aged into my mid 40s that time frame is not ideal for me. Because of that I decided to be more selective to events that I say yes to. To keep my business going forward I currently added a new branch which is SPP Art School. I’ve started a Little Art Explorers program where I teach after school art enrichment classes. It has been such a fun addition to Sweet Pear Paper.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Honestly the best source for me to obtain new clients is word of mouth. What I do is such a niche thing it is hard to market what I do. In early years I paid for ads with in the wedding industry but they didn’t provide many worth while contacts. I find being myself and creating an outstanding product, speaks volumes for making a name for yourself. I have worked with many of the same wedding planners over and over again and am a preferred vendor at venues because they know they can trust I am going to be able to provide an amazing focal point to elevate their event.

Contact Info:

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

Image Credits

Virginia Ashley Photography and Mox Box