We were lucky to catch up with Karen Landon recently and have shared our conversation below.

Karen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

Profitability is difficult in the artisan jewelry world because it is hard to compete with goods that come to this country from areas where workers are so underpaid that the price of these goods are not comparable to goods made here in America.

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

The jewelry industry attracted me because I love jewelry and I love the process of designing it and making jewelry.It is inspiring to learn new skills. It is a constant learning experience. I provide jewelry that has features that are original and easy to wear. My pieces are timeless in that they are not in style and therefore they are not out of style.
I help my customers by redesigning their jewelry into useful pieces. This is a custom service that I offer. My line, however, is all original. The Veronica Rock line does not include up cycled goods.
My original designs and unconventional ways of creating jewelry is what sets it apart.
I am self taught. All of my work uses sterling silver and semi precious stones and leather. I want my jewelry to be recognizable as only from the Veronica Rock Studio.
My hope is that any piece which comes from my studio will be handed down from generation to generation.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Jewelry was a hobby for me from the time I was a little kid. I took 3 semesters of jewelry in college before I started majoring in music. After I graduated I started teaching piano and started an indoor houseplant maintenance business. I was living in West Hollywood. I had neighbors that had small jewelry businesses and needed some help. I worked for them and then I realized that I could design my own business and make jewelry for a living. I became obsessed with this idea and started hounding stores to get orders. I went downtown to the LAMart and got a rep. My business took off and I had a good business for many years.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Unfortunately, I couldn’t compete with the low prices of imported goods and my business started to slow down. I needed to get a regular job which was a challenge because I was a single mom. But I did it! In became a barista for a short time before I started working at a high end boutique where I could sell my jewelry all the while still fitting in piano students and being a mother. I never gave up on my jewelry line and taught myself metal smithing. My first line was intricately beaded filigree but my dream was metal smithing so this is what I do now and I love it. Working at the boutique opened my eyes to the price that some will pay for a knitted sweater so I taught myself to knit and sold my sweaters in the boutique as well. When I need a break from jewelry I knit both by hand and on a loom.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.veronicarockstudio.com
• Instagram: Veronica Rock Studio
• Facebook: Veronica Rock Studio
• Pinterest: Veronica Rock Studio

Image Credits
Karen Landon