We recently connected with Julie Solomon and have shared our conversation below.

Julie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I started my business with one product in mind: candles made in vintage and secondhand containers that can be reused. But I knew that more broadly, my goal with the business would be to reuse recycled materials in many ways, so I needed a name that wasn’t candle specific and left space for me to grow. I landed on the name Solly Sundries – Solly comes from my last name, Solomon, and I added on the alliterative “Sundries” to reflect the fact that business may include a myriad of things! In addition to selling candles, I am now also making clothes out of vintage and secondhand fabrics. I can’t wait to continue adding sundry sustainable projects to my shop!

Julie, 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?

I started making candles in January 2021 in an effort to make my house as cozy as possible during the first Pandemic Winter. I love all things vintage and secondhand, so sourcing reusable objects for the candles was my plan from the start. I had so much fun making candles for myself that I decided to keep sourcing containers and start selling them for other people to enjoy! The idea is that you’re not just purchasing a candle in a jar that gets thrown away when done; you’re purchasing a reusable piece of home decor that you want to keep around in your home and use in many ways!

Since then, my mission has solidified into a slow fashion model that prioritizes the reuse of secondhand materials. Every year, the US creates millions of tons of trash that goes to landfills. There is already so much great stuff out there, so my goal is to upcycle, reimagine, and rehome things already in existence!

In addition to candles, I recently began making clothes out of table cloths, sheets, pillowcases, and other vintage fabrics. The clothing industry in particular creates so much waste, so it feels especially in line with my mission to be diverting items that would otherwise be headed to landfills into wearable art. Since there is a finite amount of each fabric, all my clothing is currently made-to-order. This way, the fabric is cut exactly to someone’s measurements, ensuring the garment will be worn and loved for (hopefully) years to come!

The challenge with this model is also its greatest strength. I am limited to the materials that I source, as well as the time it takes for me to create them as everything is handmade. Though this means there is not a constant availability of product, it discourages over-production, and everything is one-of-a-kind!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I am still a rather small business, but I have already felt so much support from other businesses in the re-selling/upcyling community. Connecting with these other business owners, primarily through Instagram, has been most effective for me in growing my clientele! By boosting and sharing each other’s work, our clientele gets introduced to other businesses that share similar values. Within this re-selling and upcycling niche in particular, we all know that there is more than enough to go around, and as such there is a wonderful supportive community rather than a sense of competition. Simply existing in the community and connecting with others with similar interests has been the most effective strategy for me!

How did you build your audience on social media?

My best advice with social media is to not let perfect be the enemy of the good. Though Instagram has been the most helpful for me in terms of connecting with a community, TikTok has been a helpful tool to get my brand out there on a larger scale. I have found that video content can be hit or miss, but it’s important to just keep trying.

My best advice for creating content is to just film things you’re already doing! Don’t over think it, just stick your phone on a tripod and film yourself doing whatever you were about to do. Some of the videos that I spent the least amount of effort on are the ones that have been most effective!

It sounds so simple, but just keep throwing things at the wall and something will stick.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sollysundries.com
• Instagram: @sollysundries
• Other: Tiktok: @sollysundries