We were lucky to catch up with Maxine Siddiqi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maxine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Back in 2010 my dad used to watch this show on Discovery channel called oddities. Seeing exploded skulls come up on the show lit up my interest in the oddity world but I didn’t know how to express it. Later on, when I became a teenager, my friend and I found a raccoon as skeleton and we attempted to “bleach” it but ruined the bones. I felt pretty defeated and never really tried to do anything like that again. Coincidentally many years later, I found a dead squirrel in my yard and I decided to take another shot at cleaning this guy for bones. I didn’t have any proper equipment so I did the best I could with what I had available, i skinned him and buried him for a couple months and made a nice terrarium for him after he was ready. I got a lot of encouragement from friends and family, more than I ever had in my other pursuits into the art world, and I started making more stuff until I had a large enough inventory to start selling at my first show in September of 2022.
I sold out that very day and have continued chasing that dopamine ever since.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is actually Margarita but iv never liked my name and it’s never been ME, so I go by Maxine or Max. I’m a stay at home mom with an amazing little boy who keeps me busy. Art has always been a big part of me and when I found an art medium that could actually help me support my family while still being there for my son I knew it was the perfect business.
I started my own small business with a straight forward name, Bone ‘N Bug.
It explains exactly what I do, and it’s easy for customers to remember. All of my pieces are made from roadkill that I process myself, or bones and bugs that are foraged in nature, i’ve even received donations from admirers. I make foresty and whimsical terrariums made with bones, bugs, foliage and props as well as jewelry from smaller bone pieces that can be displayed better on a necklace or earrings. On the outside I’m a dark person because I’m very insecure but on the inside Im a cottagecore gal and I feel like this really shows in my work. I take things that might look macabre but make them into really nature oriented and whimsical sceneries.

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

The most effective strategy for growing clientele for me has been going to markets, even if it’s not a market tailored to people like me it’s gets my name out to other city’s. I make sure to have plenty of business cards so I can hand them out to anyone who is interested in my stand. If I don’t make a profit and just break even I just consider those moments as marketing strategies. When I’m not attending markets I am making reels on instagram and some times those get a lot of traction and helps me gain followers.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

My favorite sales story will always be my first event which was the Punk Rock Flea Market in Lakeland. My uncle works at a record shop that happened to be attending the event, he talked to the owner about allowing me to sell my items inside the shop and she was more than happy to have me there. When she seen the work I did in person she knew that I would be a perfect fit for PRFM and invited me to share a spot. This was very intimidating because it was my first event, either way I accepted the offer. After 6 hours of my first event, with no one knowing who I was, I sold out! That day was definitely my make it or break it day in continuing my work, safe to say it was a success and it led me to where I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BoneNBug
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bonenbug
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bonenbug
• Other: Email: [email protected]