Lemons to Lemonade

How did you start your shop? How does it all work?

I was injured at my place of employment and following two surgeries, I began wondering "what on earth will I do if I can't go back to my job?"

During my rehabilitation, I suffered depression and my weight yo-yo'd. I began thinking about what types of things I spent money on regardless of my size or mood. For me, it was jewelry or handbags. They always "fit"!

I have always figured myself to be quite "average". My feet were average, I often wore an "average" size in clothing. I even finished middle of the pack when I ran the Honolulu Marathon (many years ago). So I thought there must be other "average" women out there who have similar spending habits.

At first I took a jewelry making class with my husband. He excelled at it...me, well, not so much! But I did know how to sew (Thank you momma!)

I worked hard at my physical rehabilitation and was able to return to my original job, but by then, life had changed so much that I knew I had a new goal. It was starting my own business and making it my sole source of income within 4 years.

It was at a bad time in the economy, so living in Hawaii, I also wanted to sew something "different" that would make my creations stand out. I live in the middle of Kona Coffee Country so using coffee bags seemed like a no brainer. My very first sale was for 100 tote bags to a retail store.

My background working in a 5 star hotel gave me knowledge of the corporate incentive world. I now sell to several companies who bring their clients to Hawaii for incentive trips. I love it when they call me year after year. That is the greatest compliment!

In January of 2011 after 3 years and 3 months of bag making, I was able to close the door on my former career and open a new door to being self employed. Doing something I love makes the long days pass quickly. An added bonus is that I can even sew in my jammies without any makeup on!

One of my biggest lessons has been to dream BIG .....and then dream BIGGER! Not every idea I have is a good one, but I'm not afraid of giving it a whirl. Stay tuned. The journey isn't over yet!