We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Irina Rachow. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Irina below.

Irina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I clearly remember sitting at my desk in my home office in early 2022. The pandemic was still a global concern, and the world seemed to be trying to find its balance. My two retail boutiques were humming along, though one had recently closed due to flooding. The repair work needed by the shopping center, combined with time constraints, made it impossible to keep the store open. With one store fewer, I figured I’d have a little ‘extra time’ to explore something new.

Never one to shy away from a project, I started considering my options. Did I want to open another store? Not really. Go back to school? Maybe one day, but not right now. Focus on finishing the rough drafts of the two fantasy novels I’d been tinkering with for years? Tempting. But the idea that really caught my attention was the chance to do something that could make a difference for the environment. It felt like the right direction—something creative, purposeful, and impactful. But how?

Supporting charities that help animals, protect national parks, and preserve our oceans had always been important to me. But this time, I wanted to create a business model that would automatically channel support to the causes I care about. It felt like a calling, even if it sounds a little corny. I remembered an acreage adoption program with the National Wildlife Federation I had supported in the past, so I checked to see if it was still running. Not only was it still active, but it was thriving. That’s when I knew—this was the path I wanted to take.

I decided to partner with the NWF to help protect and restore wild lands, and I came up with the name Everwild. I hoped it would be a fitting name for a company dedicated to preserving nature, while also creating products that would allow people to connect to the mission.

My mind tends to generate ideas like a firehose—some good, some wild, and occasionally, a gem. This time, though, I wanted to create something meaningful, something with heart. I had spent over 28 years in retail fashion, often working with jewelry designers to create specialty collections for my boutiques. Over the years, I’d gained a strong instinct for what worked, and I felt ready to design my own pieces—ones that would resonate with people and hold emotional significance. I wanted to create jewelry that celebrated family, faith, inner strength, friendship, and love.

Everwild was built differently from most businesses. Instead of a product or service coming first with a charitable give-back attached afterward, Everwild was created with the mission to protect wild spaces at its core. Everything we do, no matter the product, is designed to support that cause.

I was eager to get started, so I grabbed my sketchpad, sharpened my pencil, and began sketching. The first design I created was a wolf cuff ring—a tribute to my son, Dane, who lives with autism. His deep love for wolves and his courage in facing life’s challenges inspired me to inscribe the inside of each ring with the words, “Courage is a decision.” I’m proud of this design—not just for its aesthetic, but for what it represents.

And with that, Everwild was born.

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

I am proud to be the founder of Everwild Designs, a jewelry brand that I created with a deep passion for meaningful artistry and a commitment to environmental preservation. I launched Everwild on April 22, Earth Day, with a vision to design jewelry that would resonate with people from all walks of life. During the Covid lockdowns, I suffered the loss of one of my retail stores to flooding, giving me the opportunity to take a devastating event and parlay it into something new.
What sets Everwild apart is that every piece is designed by either myself or my daughter, Fairen, conceived with deep thought, starting from an original sketch series that considers both overt and hidden meanings and finishing with a curated presentation to the client. Each design is not just a beautiful piece of jewelry—it’s a symbol of connection, strength, and passion.

At Everwild, we offer five distinct collections to cater to different interests and personal expressions:

Everwild Animal Talisman Jewelry: This collection is inspired by the powerful connection between humans and the animal kingdom. Each talisman represents a unique animal spirit, meant to offer guidance and protection to its wearer.

Saints & Saviors: Jewelry that celebrates faith and spirituality, featuring sacred icons and symbols that inspire courage, hope, and a deeper sense of belief.

Touchstone Braille-Inspired Jewelry: This unique line is designed with hidden messages in Braille, offering tactile reminders of strength, love, and inspiration.

PickleBelle: For those who love pickleball, this collection blends sport with style, featuring pieces that celebrate the fun and energy of the game.

LoveMatch Tennis: A collection for tennis enthusiasts, bringing together elegance and sport in pieces that reflect the spirit of the game.

What makes Everwild Designs truly unique is our commitment to using only the finest materials. Every piece is crafted using sterling silver or pure gold as the base metals, with non-farmed diamonds and the highest-rated Cubic Zirconia crystals. I also use a variety of precious and semi-precious stones in each design. The attention to detail is critical—every piece features meticulous finish work, hand-polishing, and careful presentation to ensure that whether it’s a personal purchase or a treasured gift, the recipient feels special from the moment they open the box.

I am also deeply committed to protecting our planet. Through Everwild’s Preservation Project, I’ve partnered with the National Wildlife Federation to help preserve land across the U.S. To date, we’ve protected over 2,000 acres from ranching and development, ensuring these natural spaces remain safe and wild forever.

My journey to founding Everwild Designs is rooted in decades of experience in retail and working with other designers to create collections for stores. After years of creating designs for others, I was inspired to build a brand that reflected my own values. As a mother of three, a happy wife, and an ever-curious entrepreneur, I love to explore new ideas, whether through playing pickleball, solving crossword puzzles, reading, or simply learning something new every day.

With Everwild Designs, my goal is to offer jewelry that not only enhances your personal style but also carries meaning and purpose, making it a true treasure—whether it’s for you or a loved one.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

We sell our jewelry on Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify. I have two Shopify websites, one master site with all my 5 brands included, set up like a store with various departments. This might be confusing for customers but we are working to focus our SEO and marketing to channel customers to land on specific brand pages/sections to shop where they are interested most. the separate PickleBelle website has pulled very well as it is a niche brand for the ever-growing pickleball community. We have two Etsy stores – one for the pickleball and tennis jewelry, the other for the remaining three brands with no distinct focus. For this reason, the second store is doing poorly while the pickleball/tennis store is doing pretty well. Amazon is still a work in progress for us – we have done fairly well but we statrted just throwing everything out there under the Everwild brand, which led to low sales and many items being returned to us from Amazon when they did not sell fast enough. A costly and valuable lesson! Now we concentrate on the pickleball and tennis jewelry, but the fees and pay-per-click costs make it just about a break-even thing which is not what we are in business to do.
Each platform has unique features, pricing structures, and competition levels that can impact sales and brand positioning. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons from our perspective:

1. Amazon
Pros:
Massive Reach: Amazon provides access to millions of active buyers globally, offering a vast customer base for both LoveMatch and PickleBelle. This can lead to substantial exposure, especially for products that have broad appeal.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): With FBA, we can outsource the storage, packing, and shipping of our jewelry, allowing us to focus more on design and marketing.
Trust & Convenience: Many customers trust Amazon’s customer service, returns policy, and fast shipping, which can lead to higher conversion rates.
Cons:
Fees & Commissions: Amazon charges various fees, including a referral fee (usually 15% on jewelry) and additional FBA fees for storage and fulfillment. These can add up quickly, especially on lower-priced pieces. It is not uncommon for the fees to add up to 50% of the sales in a given month.
Competition: The competition on Amazon is fierce, with many sellers offering similar products. Standing out requires aggressive marketing and often higher pricing to compensate for fees.
Brand Control: Selling on Amazon means giving up some control over how our brand is presented. Product listings can appear alongside competing brands, and customization of storefronts is limited.
Customer Ownership: Amazon owns the customer relationship, which limits our ability to directly market to customers or build loyalty.
2. Etsy
Pros:
Targeted Audience: Etsy’s user base is more focused on handmade, unique, and artistic products, making it a natural fit for Everwild Designs and PickleBelle. Jewelry buyers here tend to appreciate craftsmanship and personal stories.
Low Startup Costs: Etsy has relatively low entry barriers, with a small listing fee ($0.20 per item) and a transaction fee (5% of the sale price, including shipping).
Customizable Shop: We have more control over our branding on Etsy, including the ability to design our storefront, share our story, and present our collections in a way that reflects our values and artistic vision.
Cons:
Higher Transaction Fees: In addition to the listing fee, Etsy charges a payment processing fee (3% + $0.25) for each sale, which can add up for higher-ticket items.
Competition: While Etsy’s customer base is ideal for handmade jewelry, competition is still intense, especially with numerous jewelry sellers offering similar designs. To stand out, we need to maintain strong SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and market our products well.
Traffic Dependence: Etsy’s algorithm heavily influences visibility. Without paid advertising or strong SEO, it can be difficult to get noticed amid the competition. Organic traffic can take time to build.
3. Shopify
Pros:
Full Brand Control: Shopify allows us to create a completely customized website, offering the best platform for Everwild Designs and PickleBelle to showcase our unique brand identity. We have full control over the look, feel, and functionality of the site.
No Marketplace Fees: With Shopify, we only pay a monthly subscription fee (ranging from $29 to $299 per month depending on the plan), plus transaction fees (2.9% + 30¢ per sale for the basic plan). There are no marketplace commissions like on Amazon or Etsy.
Customer Relationship: We own the customer data and can market directly to our buyers via email, newsletters, or social media. This helps build customer loyalty and create long-term relationships.
Scalability & Flexibility: Shopify offers a range of integrations and apps that help with inventory management, marketing, and shipping. We can scale easily as our brand grows, adding new functionalities or channels (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, or Amazon).
Cons:
Upfront Costs: Shopify has monthly fees, which may be an obstacle for smaller businesses just starting out. The basic plan costs $29/month, but additional features (like advanced reporting or lower transaction fees) require a higher-tier plan.
Traffic Building: Unlike Amazon and Etsy, Shopify doesn’t provide an existing customer base. We need to drive our own traffic through SEO, paid advertising, social media, or email marketing. This can take time and requires consistent effort.
Payment Processing Fees: Shopify charges a transaction fee (unless you use Shopify Payments), which can add up, especially with lower-margin items. If you use a third-party payment gateway, there are additional fees (2% per transaction).

Amazon offers incredible reach but comes with high fees and intense competition. It’s great for expanding visibility but might not reflect our brand’s personalized touch.
Etsy aligns well with our values of creativity and craftsmanship, offering access to a focused audience, but the competition can be tough, and fees add up.
Shopify provides the most control over our brand and customer relationships, making it ideal for building long-term growth, though it requires investment in traffic-building efforts.
Ultimately, we find that using a combination of these platforms—leveraging Amazon’s vast audience, Etsy’s niche community, and Shopify’s customizability—can help Everwild Designs and PickleBelle thrive across different customer bases while maintaining brand integrity and customer loyalty.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

In 2007, I was at a crossroads. After years of building Madison Leather & Luggage into a thriving retail business, I made the difficult decision to sell it. The business had been my life’s work, a place where I had poured my heart and soul for over two decades, growing it into a well-respected local institution. However, after much consideration, I felt it was time to shift gears—spend more time with my family, have a steady income, and explore new opportunities.

I found a buyer—a friend of a friend—who seemed like a good fit. The deal was struck for over $1.7 million, with a large down payment and the remainder secured by a million-dollar note. The terms seemed perfect: I would receive monthly payments from the note and have the time I’d been longing for with my loved ones. I thought this was the ideal opportunity to step back from the daily grind, and the future seemed bright.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

Almost immediately, the economic downturn began to affect the retail landscape, and then a devastating local fire further disrupted the business. But the real shock came from the new owner’s management style. She was tight-fisted, more interested in cutting corners than investing in the business or maintaining customer relations. Within 18 months, the business faltered badly. She liquidated the store, stripping it of everything—including the customer data I had worked tirelessly to build over the years.

When she left, she slunk away like a thief in the night, taking the customer lists with her and abandoning me with the remaining balance of the note unpaid. She crawled back to her hometown, leaving me to deal with the fallout. Despite a few conversations with lawyers and a meeting with mall management, I was left holding the proverbial bag. The situation felt like a betrayal—a loss of both my business and the trust I had placed in someone else.

However, I was determined not to let the business die. After some negotiations, I took the store back over, restructured the lease in my favor, and rebranded the business. I decided to change the name to distance myself from the damage done by the previous owner, and to rebuild from the ground up. The rebranded shop offered a fresh start, and I worked hard to win back my loyal customers and rebuild the business.

In hindsight, I realized that changing the name might not have been the best move. It created confusion for people who still remembered Madison Leather & Luggage as the trusted store they had shopped at for years. Looking back, it would have made more sense to keep the original name, which would have helped maintain continuity with the brand’s history and clientele. However, despite my best efforts, the store never fully regained the glory it once had.

Eventually, as the years went by, I began to lose heart. The passion I had once had for the business started to wane. Some days, it felt like I was fighting an uphill battle against the market and the toll of the previous owner’s mistakes. In the end, the store slowly spiraled into decline. It was a difficult pill to swallow, but it was a valuable learning experience—one that taught me the importance of trust, control, and the risks of handing over something I had built with so much care.

The story of Madison Leather & Luggage isn’t just about loss—it’s about resilience. It taught me that even in the face of unexpected challenges and setbacks, you have the power to reclaim what’s yours and reinvent yourself. Ultimately, it also led me to Everwild Designs, where I could build a business grounded in my true passions and values, with a deep connection to my customers and the environment. The lessons learned from that difficult chapter continue to shape who I am today as a businesswoman and as an entrepreneur.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.everwilddesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everwild_designs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EverwildDesigns/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@everwilddesignsjewelry/videos
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/everwild-designs-encinitas
• Other: https://www.picklebelle.com