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

Julianna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I had been crocheting for over 15 years before I attempted to make my first hat. “This doesn’t make sense to me” I remember saying as I tried to follow the instructions. My mother and my grandma were sitting with me in my apartment in Salem. We each had a hook and yarn, and they worked through how to make a hat with me.

I had never been a hat person, and felt no need to make them before this. But I was determined to make a hat, because I wanted to give one to my boyfriend for the holidays. But just like when anyone learns something new, you’re not great at it at first. So I practiced. I made hat after hat after hat. My tiny apartment was filling up with misshapen hats. The hats began to be more uniform and I started to wear them.

When I wore one of my hats to work, several of my coworkers complimented me on my hat and asked where I bought it. When I explained that I didn’t buy it, I crocheted it myself, they then said, “how much?”

“How much? For what?” Was my response. Then they told me they would love if I made them a hat as well, and they would pay me. Then one person suggested that I opened an Etsy shop. This was exciting and overwhelming. I had no experience operating a business, and there weren’t the guides and resources that are available today.

Without little to no research, on December 28th 2011 I opened Salem Style on Etsy. The listing photos were fuzzy and dimly lit. But it was official and felt very real.

I named my business Salem Style, after a blog I started about my life in Salem. When I left home, I planted roots in Salem. It was the first time I had ever lived on my own, and where I could start over, start my adult life, and figure out who I was.

Salem is a welcoming and accepting place to all, and I know that many others felt that sense of home in Salem. Through my creations, I wanted anyone in the world to be able to feel that love, warmth, and magic from Salem.

After I launched, then I began to figure logistics out. I constantly worked to improve my product photography. Between taking courses to take my own still photos, to partnering with photographers for styled shoots. I invested in SEO research, how to write a listing description, and how to market.

Salem Style has changed several times since launching in 2011, but each change has brought more opportunities and growth. And for that, I am grateful.

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?

Salem Style is a local crochet accessories company that makes crochet modern and anything but granny (no offense to granny). The Salem Style original handmade crochet collection features pieces that are inspired by and named after places in Salem, MA.

I am a fifth-generation crocheter with over 25 years of crocheting experience. Salem Style is special because it is born from generations of crocheters. I saw my mom, grandma, and great grandma all crochet, and was thrilled when they taught me. My grandma recalls her grandmother crocheting as well. Being at least a fifth generation crocheter, I take pride in my work and making crochet modern and relevant for this generation, and generations to come. I design and crochet handmade hats, scarves, ear warmers, and coffee cup cozies. In addition, I also curate magical goods from other indie makers.

Salem is a magical place, and by wearing one of our items, you can feel the magic of Salem wherever you go.

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

I currently sell on my own site. I used to sell on Etsy. I started on Etsy but left the platform in 2019. It was a great platform and it helped teach me the essentials of an e-commerce business. The main reason I left the platform is because Etsy controls the customer experience. I wanted a more branded experience for my customers and to be able to form relationships with them.

I also wanted my customers to say “I got this from Salem Style” instead of the usual “I found this on Etsy.”

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

My customers are amazing and so important to me. I make sure to show up where they are, and include them in the Salem Style journey. I am not only active on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to keep in touch, I offer exclusive insight to my email list as well as my Facebook group. I enjoy having the Facebook group, because it’s the best place to have an inclusive conversation. I ask the group members for their input and opinions and take what they say to heart. I listen to what they want and make sure to act on it. At this point, it’s not about brand loyalty, it’s a community, involving many more than just myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.salemstylestudio.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/salemstyle
• Facebook: facebook.com/salemstylellc
• Other: TikTok: tiktok.com/@salem.style

Image Credits
Christina Bruce Photography