We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lily Ann Dalit a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lily ann, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. undefined

Running a small business isn’t easy. After leaving my corporate job during the pandemic, I decided to take a leap of faith & decided to start a small business from just sewing masks during the pandemic to continuously expanding & growing my craft.

When the pandemic hit & shelter was in place, I needed to figure out a way to keep myself busy at home. After a couple weeks, I was just sewing masks for the local community & doing curbside pick ups on Fridays, offering soju shots to customers who wanted a happy hr after their long day of work at home.
After being a year & a half deep into the pandemic, I left my corporate job & decided to continue on my path of sewing & started, “Hello Lily,” named in memory of my mom in May of 2021. Fast forward three years, I have created a small business & created a community called, “South Bay Makers,” a community of makers & artists.

Creating “Hello Lily” in May 2021 has been one of the most uplifting experiences by far. Meeting people in the artists & makers community has been nothing but positive energy. Everyone who I have met in this journey has been is so supportive with each other that I have built some dope personal relationships with some of them outside of just vending at a popup. Within a year, I was able to collaborate with another creative maker & also started hosting makers markets at a local business in Downtown Mt. View.

As a sewist & a full-time product developer in apparel, it is always about thinking of what is new, what can be improved, what hasn’t been done yet, what are consumers buying, etc.
After getting to know Genevieve from “Genevieve Inspired,” who is a very talented creative illustrator inspired by nature, I thought about how creative would it be if two makers/artists were to collaborate on project together. That was when we created our makers apron. Our marketing around the makers apron is, “Made by Makers, For Makers.”
We wanted to develop something fun & stylish for makers/artists to wear while they hustle during popups. Prior to developing the makers half aprons, I went online to see if there was something similar in the small maker/artist community out there, but didn’t find much, so I thought to myself this development concept would do well. We have been selling limited amounts for the last two summers & have sold out successfully. Collaborating with another small maker/artist isn’t for everyone, but there is something to learn & appreciate with one another who you meet in the maker/artist journey.

In my journey, it has been nothing but an incline of positive vibes & opportunities. Two years ago, I had my friends reach out to me to see if I can host a makers markets at their beirgarten & fast forward to this year, I created, “South Makers” a community of makers & artists popup which has been growing steadily. In November, we will be hosting our very 1st Urban Holiday event in my hometown of Sunnyvale. The heart of, “Silicon Valley.” We am super excited for this event as we want to gather everyone in an inclusive community where creativity & diversity can flourish without any racial or gender discrimination.

Our mission, “Empowering artistry and creativity, one pop-up at a time. When we gather local makers and businesses, we showcase resilience through our creations, fostering a vibrant community that thrives on shared stories.”

Lily ann, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Lily Ann, I am a full-time product merchandiser, a fur mom of 3 with a love & appreciation for art, music, dance, wanderlust & living life the best way I can through believing in faith.
Three years ago I was making masks for the local community. Fast forward to now, I am a small business owner perfecting my small batch handmade goods of totes, pouches, dog bandanas, aprons & slowly introducing upcycling into my products.
My journey began at Academy of Art which has given me lifetime of opportunities to work with passionate creatives in apparel, from high-end RTW, wedding dresses to denim and sleepwear from LA to the bay.
My love craft is an extension of my journey of soul searching & self love through my memories of travel from the Islands of Hawaii to Asia.
My life has had its ups & downs. It’s those downs/losses that have given me time to learn & continuously grow as a person.
It’s the local community & the relationships that I have met in the journey that continuously gives me the drive to grow & thrive. I appreciate & support each one of them.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

The vision of “Hello Lily” and the community I am currently building for, “South Bay Makers,” is inspired around creating a welcoming space that celebrates and supports everyone with no racial or gender discrimination.
“Hello Lily” was created and inspired through my memories of traveling to Asia & Hawaii. I get inspired by everyones eyes being in the “awww” memories moment.
It’s when I listen to the customers or the makers telling their story about their memories of travel and/or Maker/Art journey that makes me envision a positive uplifting environment that feels like family. It is the story telling & personal stories that we share with each other that every voice deserved to be heard. It is the stories that the community is a tapestry of unique stories waiting to be shared.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

It has been the personal relationships that I have built with them that I am able to relate to them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southbay_makers/ & https://www.instagram.com/_hello_lily/