How Four Jewelry Designers Cultivated Their Home Based Businesses
Business Name: Rachel Stewart
Founder: Rachel Stewart
Former Day Jobs: Welder, Blueprint Maker, Painter
Wares: Earrings, Bracelets, Brooches, Necklaces, Rings
Price Range: $15-$50
Business Fact: Stewart offers free shipping and a free pair of earrings with each purchase.
Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs:
“It’s easier than you think. Now is the best time in history for minority women to start a business. Everyone has a computer and a camera. The Web and blogs are free. Paypal is free. The time is now.”
Big and bold are the words to describe Rachel Stewart’s collection. Whether it’s a pair of dangle earrings that read “Young Gifted And Black” or a ring shaped like a turntable, Rachel Stewart designs are meant to be statement pieces.
Based in North Carolina and with a honey sweet southern drawl to prove it, Stewart believes her work reflects her personality and maturity. “I’m not as self-conscious as I was in my 20’s,” explained 37-year-old Stewart. “I like big earrings, the bigger the better. Plus, I saw a void in the market where black women were really not being addressed, so I started making my own pieces.”
Stewart has a built a studio in her bedroom where she makes all of her pieces by hand. She outsources some of the metal cutting, but other than that, every piece of jewelry comes from her own hands. Her previous job as a welder comes in handy when she solders some of her metal pieces.
Stewart stays busy by making about 80 new pieces per month on average. She keeps overhead low by only selling online. She doesn’t do jewelry shows and is adamantly opposed to paying rent anywhere to sell her work. “It would be nice to be in a department store, but they wouldn’t want my afro pick earrings in their stores,” said Stewart. “They think there are not enough black dollars to support it, but they are wrong.” Stewart does most of her advertising for free on social networks and websites, but she does occasionally purchase advertisements on blogs for what she says are reasonable prices.
Though completely devoted to her jewelry line now, Stewart is also an accomplished painter who used to create five-foot tall works in bold designs and colors. The recession significantly dented her sales and she doesn’t have the room to paint new pieces, so her masterpieces sit awaiting more space or more buyers. “I don’t use my painting skills on the jewelry line because it would take a lot of time to do that and so I would have to charge much more for my pieces. I want to keep my line affordable,” explained Stewart who says she has no desire to cater to celebrities or take over the jewelry world. “I’m not trying to become a millionaire. I like to keep it small and manageable. As long as I can make a good amount of money with this, I’m fine.”
