We recently connected with Lea Barkley and have shared our conversation below.
Lea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How do you feel about asking friends and family to support your business? What’s appropriate, what’s not? Where do you draw the line?
I believe asking your friends and family to support your business is huge when you are just starting out. I know I would not be where I am today without all of their support. They are my biggest cheerleaders. When I wanted to make DogFish full time, the first thing I did was turn to my family. I knew if I continued trying to just do as a side hustle that I would not dedicate time to it. So I saved up some money, came up with a strict time line and then went to my family. I explained everything to them. They immediately got on board and said they were there for me if I needed them. My friends were my first customers. They let me use them as a test market and this is so important. My family is still a huge part. Chances are my Mom has touched every shell we sell!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I spent over 25 years in retail management. Working endless hours selling products for huge companies and basically just exhausting myself. I grew up in Houston,TX and when I turned 30, I relocated to South Florida. After moving there, I fell in love with the area and the coastal lifestyle. I started collecting seashells during morning walks along the beach. After filling endless jars with shells, I decided to try making something with them. I remember it was after a hurricane hit our area and a friend of mine had no power so her family was staying at my house. We were bored one day and decided to make a giant shell mirror. That started it all. I started putting seashells on anything I could. Mirrors, pictures frames, statues, canisters, lamps, and so much more. I went into a few local stores and got them to takes things on consignment. Then I started doing the Palm Beach Gardens Greenmarket. That’s what really put me on the map. I would get tons of custom orders and more shop owners would see my items and want them in their stores. In 2019, I decided to go full time with DogFish. Somehow I made it through Covid shutdowns and my business just blew up. I listened to the needs of my top stores and started really focusing on small shell items and came out with an entire Christmas line. The first Christmas was insane. I had up to 20 people a day picking up items from my front porch. They were ordering Christmas ornaments by the dozens. So instead of all the huge shells items I had started out with, I was now just making ornaments and trinket shells. This is our core business now. In 2023 I relocated back to Houston to have my family step in and help me out. As of November 2023, we have sold our ornaments and trinket shells to over 170 stores world wide. Including France, St Thomas USVI and all over the US. Of course we have a strong presence in Florida and all along the East Coast. I still work until I’m exhausted, but it’s all for my business. There’s a saying that business owners will understand … I quit my exhausting 9-5 job to work for myself where now I work 24/7! I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I touched briefly on this earlier. When I started out I was making all sorts of seashell home decor. I would go to Thrift stores and garage sales to find unique pieces to cover in shells. I even started painting furniture during Covid shutdown in order to bring in money. If there is one thing I have learned it’s you have to be flexible and pivot. Follow where the business is taking you. Listen to your customers. What are they asking you for. During Covid… painted furniture was huge. I was selling pieces all over the country. People were stuck home and wanting to make their spaces more comfortable. The stores I was selling to were all closed. The markets and pop up events weren’t going on. So I completely reinvented what I was doing. Then the next pivot was when my biggest store came to me and said that all her other vendors didn’t have any coastal Christmas ornaments. So I went home and created an entire line for her store. Then started taking it to all the other stores. That’s where we are today. Christmas shells are our core items.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
This past year I have started going to trade shows. This was a huge step for me. I started out just going to local stores and to places I knew. In 2022 we got accepted to sell on Faire and that was a game changer. It put us in stores all over the world. I knew if I was going to take DogFish to the next level that I was going to have to do trade shows. In July we were at Atlanta Market. This was so overwhelming. If you have never heard of AmericasMart, it’s a giant wholesale showcase for brands all over the world. It’s 3 giant buildings with floors and floors of vendors. I had success at my first show. In September I did Surf Expo and this was definitely a game changer. I have already registered for these 2 shows in January. Going forward this will be the way we continue to grow our clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: Dogfishdesign13.com
- Instagram: @dogfishdesign13
- Facebook: @dogfishdesign13