We recently connected with Lauren Salinas and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lauren thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

This idea actually started over 10 years ago after my daughter was born, I was looking for a way to be creative and have an outlet for stress as my husband was having serious medical issues. When my daughter turned 2 I bought a cricut and started customizing items for friends and family as well as my daughter. I started Alpaca the Sprinkles when we lived in MD because I wanted to share the joy of parties and alpacas (my husband is from Peru and they have the sweetest faces and softest fur). I decided to sign up for a shop through Etsy. I sold confetti, party supplies alpaca themed, as well as stationary and stickers. I loved it! Made sales and felt like I was making a difference. Then we decided to move towards the end of the pandemic to NC in September of 2020. I had to shut down my Etsy shop bc you have to close all tax accounts etc as a sole proprietor when you move out of state. I didn’t re establish my shop until summer 2023 in NC after my daughters dance friends all wanted the competition Irish dance clips that I made to hold their numbers instead of using safety pins and causing holes in their skirts. This time I set up my own website, decided to sell in person at vendor fairs and to the children’s parents in coordination with the Irish dance teacher. I have had good success and it makes me so happy when I see our Irish dancers wearing the embroidered bows I made, or the competition clips or even wearing the Celtic knit keychains on their bags or backpacks. In addition to Irish or Celtic themed items, I primarily sell alpaca or llama themed items, teacher gifts, jewelry and accessories. I love making people smile and using the items I made.

Lauren , 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?

A mother of a competitive Irish dancer and 2 furry mini schnauzers. I love beautiful things, party planning, alpaca and llamas and unique and creative packaging. I have always loved the creativity that comes with making your own items and seeing the joy they bring other people. My items are centered around items that I would buy and make serve a purpose like the clips that hold the competition numbers for the Irish dancers, black bows that are unique to only my daughters school bc I designed them, or just to show that alpacas, llamas, and mini schnauzers are the absolute cutest animals on the planet.

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

My husband got stage 3 brain cancer 2 months before our daughter was born in 2012. He had several other surgeries, chemo, and a muscle autoimmune disease thereafter. Additionally I got diagnosed with chronic nerve pain after we moved to NC and during all this I worked full time for all of us and did my crafting on the side. I still do, I had to remain resilient and even got a tattoo last year with the word “Sisu” It is a Finnish term that can be roughly translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. Sisu is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain that courage. This is what I had to do and be for my family, the items I make I put my love into them. My dream one day is to do this full time and work only for myself but right now it and has always been my family and they always come first. You never know how long you are going to have them.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

All of my funding is out of my pocket, I learn as I go and make changes where needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: Alpacathesprinkles.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alpaca_the_sprinkles?igsh=dWpqYzFjMDdlZ3dl&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085190418837&mibextid=PtKPJ9