How cOcO cOuture was created.
My shop story-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After graduating from college with an Apparel Design and Manufacturing degree I did not know where to turn to find a job. I tried a few places but knew deep down that I wanted to start my own business. Having a dad and granddad who are entrepreneurs greatly influenced me to pursue a business. Someone who has impacted me even more in this is my mother. She has taught me many things about running a successful shop. I grew up going to markets with her while she picked out goods to sell at my parent's pharmacy. My very first job at their store was to take inventory and price the products that were going to be placed for sell. There is where I started to learn how to discern what people would like and buy and about the importance of quality products. She also gave me my first sewing machine as a high school graduation gift and gave me my first embroidery machine as a college graduation gift. These are two machines that have been vital to my success and I still use them both to this day.
I started Coco Couture soon after school and started sewing up my ideas. I did craft bazaars, fashion shows, designed a website and started an Etsy shop in 2006 back when Etsy was first starting up. I've learned a lot about business along the way and know that I have a lot more I can learn. The main and most important thing that I have learned is if you keep your priorities in order everything else will fall into place.
I started off on Etsy very slow and then one day I decided to post a picture of a burlap Christmas stocking that was a gift to my mother-in-law. Before I knew it I had several orders and that's when I realized I was onto something. I was pregnant with my second child at the time so I could only make so many that year in time for Christmas. The next year I decided to keep making my burlap stockings and try a new fabric for the cuff. I thought chevron would be so cute and I searched the web and Etsy high and low and there were no burlap stockings with chevron cuffs....I knew I was onto something good! I posted more Christmas Stocking listings than the year before and they took off! Thank you to Etsy my ideas and products are reaching people that I would not be able to reach otherwise.
This year I will continue to make my original Christmas stocking designs and hopefully have time to make some more ideas I have as well!
My husband is a talented Architect by day and likes to also design organization calendars. Check out his Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheOrganizedLife
