Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Julia Hadjistavrou. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Julia , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I have always had a passion for people, especially the women in my community. When I first started creating with polymer clay in 2019, I knew I wanted to create more than just earrings. I wanted to cultivate a sense of boldness, authenticity, and empowerment within the women who wore my art. So, I created Handcrafted by Julia to do just that, to create a community of incredible women who could come together through their love of jewelry.
A quote I hold dear to my heart is:
“She blooms wild and burns bright”
This is a quote I use frequently with HBCJ because it reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures. “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” -Proverbs 31:35
Handcrafted by Julia believes that every woman, no matter their race, size, or age was created with a purpose. My hope is to encourage women of all backgrounds who wear HCBJ, to live their lives authentically and boldly. My earrings are for everyone.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello, my name is Julia Hadjistavrou and I am the polymer clay artist behind Handcrafted by Julia. I am a local to the beautiful city of West Columbia, Texas. I am a wife, daughter, sister, and friend. I work full time as a Psychiatric Registered Nurse. I am also the children’s ministry coordinator at The Living Room Church. I am absolutely in love with the life I’ve been blessed with.
I started creating polymer clay earrings in July of 2019 as a stress reliever while attending nursing school. I made earrings for myself, family, and close friends. My friends and family encouraged me to share my art then, but it wasn’t until April of 2020 that I decided to do so! I created Handcrafted by Julia and posted my first pair of earrings for sale in April of 2020. Since then, thousands of pairs of my earrings have found homes in numerous cities around Texas, twenty-two states out of Texas, and even to Germany!
Handcrafted by Julia exists to create unique and wearable art! Each pair of my polymer clay earrings are made by my two hands and are one of a kind. I design each piece from start to finish. I hand mix and hand-roll the clay. I sand, drill, assemble, package, and ship out these beauties! I am a one woman shop!
I love being able to create stylish, affordable, and lightweight earrings! My earrings are handmade with love, nickel free, hypoallergenic, and lightweight. I’m passionate about crafting my earrings, mixing new colors, trying new techniques, creating new designs, but even more, I love seeing you all enjoy them! My hope is that you love your handcrafted earrings as much as I loved making them!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I have found that the most effective way to grow clientele is to make sure that you are engaging and welcoming on social media. During the year of 2022, I started posting more of my personal life on my business social media pages. I made sure to not be overwhelming, but just show a little more about who I am. I also started showing more of the “behind the scenes” of owning a small business. Since doing this, I have had an increase in social media following and more engagement with followers who have been around for quite some time. I had a client reach out to me and mentioned that seeing more of the behind the scenes of my business made everything feel more personal.
Another strategy is attending local markets as a vendor. There is something very special about being able to connect with clients face to face. This was the first year that I started attending markets with HCBJ and it has been such a game changer for my small business!
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
The majority of my sales come from my website, www.handcraftedbyjulia.com! If you’re just starting out, I would certainly recommend Squarespace. It wasn’t until almost a year after creating HCBJ that I decided to get a website. I was only selling my earrings on Facebook and Instagram, but when I started getting more and more orders, I knew it was time to upgrade.
I did a lot of research on which platform I wanted to use. I ultimately decided on Squarespace. Squarspace is so easy to use, especially if you do not have any experience with websites. They offer templates for everything, so you are able to go in and edit it to your brand. I have used Squarespace for two years now and will never use any other platform!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.handcraftedbyjulia.com
- Instagram: @handcraftedbyjulia
- Facebook: Handcrafted by Julia
Image Credits
Jacob Walker @ JLW Media