Today we’d like to introduce you to Evelyn Taylor.
Hi Evelyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I began Recover T about six years ago when I was new in my journey recovering from addiction. It started off as an unexpected and very fortunate accident, to be honest. Financials were tight as I was completely beginning my life over from scratch, and it was Christmastime. I decided to go through my closet to find what I could tear apart and remake into gifts for the people that had helped me along the way. I ended up making scarves for people as gifts out of old clothing, and they were a hit! People that I had gifted them to asked me to make them for others as gifts! It literally snowballed from there. The next year during the Christmas season, I did my first market event, and the other makers gave me contacts for new markets to try! Word of mouth and good people helping people is truly where the heart of my business began. To give back, I started off by giving a dollar per item sold to a foundation that would help people to get into the treatment center where I got well. Years down the line, I got so busy that I needed a team, and I decided to give women in early recovery the opportunity to work with Recover T so that they could reap the benefits that I had seen in the work. Creativity and working with my hands become a form of meditation, offering me peace when I truly needed it. I contacted some sober living homes to see if we could partner up for women to come and be a part of the Recover T team, and it worked out beautifully. It was an entirely new way of giving back to share my gifts of recovery with others. The opportunity to mentor women, not only with work but with the adjustments that come along with early recovery, was a gift for me that I will never be able to adequately put into words.
The greatest gift of all is seeing these women still flourishing today… it’s truly miraculous! As COVID took hold, I had to let go of the team aspect of my business, unfortunately. I am hoping to rebuild eventually to bring us back to where we were. For now, to aid those in early recovery, I am keeping closets in treatment centers and sober living homes full to ensure that people feel good in what they are wearing in early recovery and for job interviews. I know that when I got sober, I had nothing to wear that wasn’t ruined or old. There are many people that come into recovery with nothing, and my current goal is to help to get them started with some standard pieces for a new wardrobe! We are no longer participating in local markets, but our jewelry is available for sale by appointment in my studio and online on our Etsy shop.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I really can’t complain about the journey. I started a business knowing nothing about owning and running a business. I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life who guided me and mentored me along the way. Whether it was learning how to report monthly sales taxes, how to effectively run a team, or simply how to get into certain markets, I had help and I got through it all. Persistence was the key. I knew I was onto something and I was too excited to give up when hardships came.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
When I went through my first round of college at Ohio State, I attained a bachelor’s in Textiles and Clothing. That’s where I got the idea to turn clothing into new works of art. I guess I decided to start out with something that I knew! I started the business with scarves, but it quickly turned into main bracelets. With bracelets, I was able to incorporate inspiring messages into pieces. They gained popularity very fast, and they became the main product of Recover T.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I believe that every day we face risks, both large and small. I took many leaps of faith throughout my growing Recover T journey, and most of them worked out to benefit the company and the cause. For me, taking risks means allowing me to replace fear with trust. Trust in my higher power, trust in the people around me, and trust in myself to make positive decisions have allowed me to take risks that have led to higher success levels.
Pricing:
- $5- $32 range for bracelets
Contact Info:
- Website: www.recovert.com
- Instagram: @recover_t
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/recovertaccessories
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/recovert
Image Credits
For headshot, Jim Reiman
