Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Jenkins.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2017 my father had a bad fall. Already nearing the late stages of Parkinson’s Disease, the fall exacerbated the effects. With bleeding and air bubbles in his brain, he required weeks of hospital care followed by rehab. He can no longer live at home without home health care. If that wasn’t bad enough, my daughter witnessed the fall and had to call 911. She was traumatized. She was only 4 at the time.
Since both my daughter and I are creatives, we decided to cope by distracting ourselves with a new hobby. It was around Christmas so we learned to make Christmas-themed polymer clay earrings. We received so many compliments that we started making them for our friends. Those friends had friends that wanted earrings as well and so our hobby quickly became a business. Our goal was to raise money to help with my father’s care, even to make a dent in the cost.
We have made new friends and have met so many new people and businesses. We are now in a few retail stores. We expanded from earrings to earrings and bracelets. We love doing collaborations as well. Viva La Casa owner Mariah Bakke and Baubles of Clay collaboration was so successful and loved so we are working on our Viva II Collab. We have multiple opportunities to work on collaborations with local businesses, including a bridal store for their own collection. What started as a coping mechanism has turned into a passionate business.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Because we started out as a hobby we quickly had to jump into business mode. I was a photographer and owned my own business for years so I understood the responsibilities and legalities of owning a business.
The business aspect was fairly easy to conquer but COVID shutdowns made getting clay difficult and caused shipping delays. Now supplies are much easier to get and we can produce more products because of it. Being a creative process I think we struggle with putting ourselves and our work out for judgment but it’s been well received so hopefully we will continue to grow more.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We specialize in polymer clay earrings and bracelets. We were first known for our polymer clay earrings but once we added bracelets we became known for our personalized/custom bracelets.
We are most proud of our perseverance through a pandemic as well as putting ourselves out there with the risk of failing. We exceeded our own expectations and that is success for us.
We do our research on upcoming styles and trends, use quality metals and beads, take our time to make quality pieces, and provide top-notch customer service. We know that sets us apart from others in the same line of business because our customers tell us regularly and we have had amazing growth.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory was when I got my first dog.
My father took me to lunch and then surprised me with her, Miss Whitey, a 1-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback. I had wanted a dog. Miss Whitey was always by my side, she was my shadow. She introduced me to my love for animals.
Pricing:
- $10-$50 for Earrings
- $8-$60 for Bracelets/Bracelet Stacks
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BaublesofClay.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/madebylalaj
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madebylalaj/
