We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rose Werden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Rose, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I think there were multiple moments where I felt a creative path was where I belonged. As a kid I grew up playing the piano and my mom put me in art lessons that I went to twice a week after school. I always felt passionate about art but as I got older, as most creatives feel, I thought there was no way in hell it was possible or sustainable. So when I went to college I wanted to pick a safe major. I’ve always loved school and was really good at math and science. I majored in Food Science and Nutrition. I was always secretly jealous of my friends who got to major in art majors like graphic design. I got my first corporate job at Ocean Spray working in their plants. Saying I hated it was an understatement but I convinced myself it was the job and jumped to a small R&D agency where I got to work in the kitchen. It was so much more creative but I still felt miserable so I rage quit with no plans. I wasn’t jobless long when someone messaged me on LinkedIn for a sales role. At this point I knew I needed a hard pivot because I hadn’t enjoyed anything. I’m extremely outgoing so I thought why not and joined the tech industry with a role in sales- follow me because this is long winded. While working in tech sales I started working with marketing and other creative teams. I quickly was reminded that I belong creating. I spent all my nights researching what creative roles were “stable” and how to make that switch. At the same time I brought this up to my management. The company I worked at was small and truly invested in people and got the lucky opportunity to move into a role as a creative strategist. Here I worked on a small professional services team helping brands like the NFL, Colgate, Free People, and ELF Cosmetics create interactive digital experiences (think online quizzes). Super niche, but it totally scratched my creative itch. I totally thought I was set. Around this time I also started painting again, something I used to love and completely let go of. Painting quickly turned into selling my work and that gave me a small glimpse of what my future could look like. Long story short, I know from a small craft studio in Charleston, SC and very much believe every “mis-step” I took was vital for my success as a small business owner. I once felt impossible and unrealistic to pursue art and now I get to do it everyday.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Well, I’m Rosie. I’m a first generation immigrant, my family moved from South Korea to America when I was 5. I was raised in South Carolina where I also went to college at Clemson University receiving my Bachelors in Food Science and Nutrition (which I do absolutely nothing with now). I am also a first generation college student! I’m daughter to an extremely hard-working barber, my mother is the foundation for my passion, work-ethic, and drive. I watched my mother work 7 days a week, often 12+ hour days just to support her family. She always believed that my sister and I could do anything we put our minds to! Even when I was 7 and fully convinced I was going to be the next biggest country music star- she told me, yes you can! She put us in art and music lessons from a very young age and although I loved art, I was fully set on going to school for a safe STEM major, get a good corporate job, and never have my mom worry about me financially. I moved to Boston after college to take my first big girl job in Food Science, where I worked at the Ocean Spray plant. It was very clear to me very early on, it was not the job for me. After jumping around I randomly found myself working tech where I got the amazing oppurtunity to work on a personal services team as a Creative Strategist. Oh, and this job was remote so I packed my bags and headed back down to warmer weather in Charleston, SC. When I moved back to SC, I picked painting back up. Which I hadn’t done in years. I had a lot of uplifting from family and friends convincing me I should try to sell my work. So I invested all of my free time researching how to do so as a beginner and began applying to craft shows and vendor events. I perfected every detail of reproducing my art, my brand, and my set up. As I started doing vendor events in the evening and on the weekends, I started to realize there was something there. People liked my art, and they were buying it. I was just happy with that. There was definitely a piece of me that got excited at the possibility of diving head first but I was still attached to the stability of my full time job. I started to think a lot about what my future looked like and what I wanted. I have always wanted to own my own business. Doing what exactly, I wasn’t always sure. But getting back into art, doing craft shows, meeting other artists and makers slowly started to get the train rolling for me. I started to notice a couple of common themes- as a small artist or maker it can difficult to share your products or craft with others and there are very limited third spaces that encourage creativity whether to enjoy or participate. We have an amazing outdoor scene and great bars + restaurants but when it comes to finding something else to, there’s not much. Through one of my Vendor friends, I was introduced to a local broker who prioritized small businesses and successfully helped first time business owners set up their storefronts. I reached out to her innocently trying to learn more about the process and still convinced at that point nothing would happen quickly. I still hadn’t had a solid concrete concept but I knew the problem I wanted to solve. Fast-forward to “casually” looking at spaces, I’m putting an offer on the 2nd locations we looked at. And I was absolutely in LOVE. I quickly had to kick it into shape and pull together a formal business plan and luckily enough, I was somehow accepted. I signed the lease, and “Big Gurl” was born. A walk-in, self-guided adult craft workshop.
Tucked into the heart of King Street, Big Gurl is Charleston’s newest creative escape—a walk-in, self-guided adult (18+) craft workshop where anyone can tap into their artistic side. Whether you’re a local looking for a fun hands-on activity or a visitor searching for a unique, take-home souvenir, Big Gurl offers an inviting space to explore creativity at your own pace. With a rotating selection of DIY projects—from stamp carving, mosaic tiling, collaging, air dry, watercolors and more—there’s always something new to discover.
Big Gurl is more than just a craft studio; it’s a celebration of community, artistry, and self-expression. The shop offers carefully curated local goods alongside its workshops, making it a perfect stop for gifts and keepsakes. No reservations are required—just drop in, pick a project, and get crafting!
“Big Gurl” worked perfectly for the store as it was the branding from my art. Big Gurl goes wayyyyy back to when I was younger and family and friends would always call me Big Gurl (almost in a snide way) because of my bigger than life remarks. I was a sassy one. And unintentionally, my space has become a community space for mostly women! I get the occasional boyfriend, husband, and dad but for the most part you’ll see 20 women in the space crafting away. I wanted the space to feel casual and cozy.
I’m extremely grateful for the support and have been overwhelmed with the amount of people who have come in and crafted. I have my regulars who come in and try everything on the menu and bring a new friend every time. I like to think I make art approachable. I always have people come in convinced they don’t have one artistic bone and leave with a special piece. In the end, I just want to provide a space you can casually participate in art, make friends or a place to catch up with them. I also want to give artists and makers the chance to showcase their work or lead ticketed workshops to share their skills!
How did you build your audience on social media?
With my business being a baby, and only having the instagram account for 3ish months, and the store being open for 2, I have created the best community on Instagram. A huge percentage of my customers tell me they’ve come from social media. I’ve just tried to make it feel human. I put myself out there, share my authentic journey, and let people know people are what make businesses. I’ve also been very fortunate with everyone who comes in wanting to share their experience on their platforms only sharing the word further. This has gotten me to 8,000 in such a short time frame!
Advice for Anyone Growing Their Business on Instagram
Show up consistently. Even if it’s just Stories or Reels, stay active.
Make it personal. Let people see you—your passion, your wins, and even the challenges.
Engage, don’t just post. Comment on posts, reply to DMs, and build relationships.
Lean into video. Whether it’s process clips, behind-the-scenes, or customer testimonials, videos are powerful.
Celebrate your customers. Repost user-generated content, shout out loyal customers, and make them feel part of your shop’s story.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Supporting artists and a thriving creative scene comes down to a few simple things—buying their work, sharing their stories, and making space for creativity in everyday life. One of the biggest ways to help is to actually pay artists for their work—whether that’s buying a print instead of a mass-produced alternative, attending a workshop, or hiring local creatives for projects. Cities and communities can do a lot by making affordable studio spaces, pop-up markets, and public art more accessible so artists have more opportunities to showcase and sell their work. Schools should treat art as essential, not just an extracurricular, so kids grow up seeing creative careers as a real option. Businesses can also play a role by partnering with local artists for branding, decor, and events instead of always going the corporate route. And honestly, just showing up matters—going to art shows, sharing artists’ work on social media, and celebrating creativity in everyday life helps build a culture that values art. A strong creative community makes everything more interesting, and when artists thrive, we all benefit.
Contact Info:
- Website: Rosiebiggurl.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/biggurlshop
