Today I'm very happy to introduce you to, Mandi and Jessica! They are the talented artists behind the new and very successful Etsy shop called "Rustic Relevance." The create and sell a variety of handcrafted, repurposed, and unique items. Read the interview I conducted below to learn more about Mandi and Jessica and be sure to visit their shop to see more!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you sell in Rustic Relevance? How did you get started selling on Etsy?
Jessica & Mandi: Rustic Relevance was created in tandem. We met each other about a year ago at church. Mandi is originally from Northern Nevada and Jessica moved here about a year ago from Minnesota. Mandi is a domestic goddess who loves on her 3 adorable girls full-time but has a physical therapy background. Jessica is a self-proclaimed chief fulfiller of needs who has worked in array of industries both in marketing and sales capacities. Opening an Etsy shop is something we had talked about in March of last year and we didn’t but too much thought into it until October. November was a crazy month for us we opened up our Etsy Shop, launched our Facebook page and website/blog – all while gearing up for our first craft bazaar in early December. But we survived and the results were encouraging so we’re really excited about 2013. Our shop name really reflects our style. We offer handcrafted, repurposed and unique items that are simple and relevant for today. Jessica is the soaper - she’s been doing it for about 5 years and its something she truly enjoys. Mandi is the maker of all things fabulous. She creates most all of the unique home décor pieces.
Were you always interested in crafting and creating?
Jessica & Mandi: Mandi comes from a long line of crazy talented people. Her Grandpa is a ridiculously talented knife maker. You can learn more about him here. Before her mom jumped ship to a mainstream gig she kept herself busy making wedding dresses, fun western décor and wear. We hope that we’re able to convince her to pick it back up because her crafts(wo)manship is fabulous. Jessica on the other hand has always had a unique style but not so much the crafting experience. About five years ago her love left to spend a winter season as a ranger in Yellowstone National Park. She needed to find something to fill her time as Minnesota winters can be ridiculous, so that’s when and how her affair with soapmaking began.
What sparked your interest?
Jessica & Mandi: Northern Nevada doesn’t have much to offer for gals with physical therapy and marketing degrees, mining and ranching drive the economy in our parts. So we found other means to stimulate ourselves intellectually and creatively. Pinterest became our addiction and before too long our DIY projects were monopolizing our living space. So we threw in a little entrepreneurial spirit and Rustic Relevance was born.
What is your favorite item to make?
Jessica: I love soaping. I’ve always loved obnoxious smell good stuff; ask Mandi I get distracted walking into Joann’s by the cinnamon pinecones. I love the business/marketing side of having an Etsy shop/Craft Business just as much. I never thought I’d say it but I miss my big girl job- taking the bus into the big city, stopping to get overpriced coffee as I walked through the skyways, gossip sessions in the break room, collaborating with competent people to make awesome things happen and actually using my degree that I continue to payoff every month. Rustic Relevance helps fill that void.
Mandi: I have to admit that I can have a pretty short attention span. I might enjoy making a particular item for a while and then grow bored of it if I have to make it repeatedly. That is why having a wide selection of unique and custom items is right up my alley, I don’t have to sit and make the same item over and over again. I do enjoy creating wreaths though and no two ever turn out the same.
Do you sell your work anywhere else?
Jessica & Mandi: We’ve participated in one craft bazaar and were extremely impressed with our sales (especially considering we didn’t get the booth space we were promised). Our goal for 2013 is to participate in a show every quarter and maybe 2 in the last quarter for the holiday season. We’d like to consider consigning at local boutiques and shops in Northern Nevada as we progress this year but we’re not in a place to do that quite yet.
I noticed you just opened your shop a month ago and have already had 16 sales! What's your secret!?
Jessica & Mandi: We have a fabulous group of online friends and family. They’ve allowed us to shame them into liking our Facebook page, favoritie-ing our Etsy shop, and they have shared our business within their own networks. We have also done a bit of market/competitive research on Etsy. We searched for like items and like listings on the front-page treasuries to shamelessly copy the tags that they used. Our shop stats surprise us someday and disappoint us others. At this point we can’t narrow it down to anyone thing unless you consider beginners’ luck. And at this point in the game we’ll take it.
Do you have any goals for the New Year?
Mandi: I personally would like to be more organized to have somewhat of a schedule for creating and buying supplies. We live in a rural area and if you are not organized about buying supplies, you find yourself making 2 hour round trips a few times a week, not very productive or economical.
Jessica: I need to quit buying supplies on a whim and be more strategic about my projects. I have to remember we’re turning our hobbies into a business.
Jessica & Mandi: Collectively we want to ensure that we continue to put energy and effort into our online platforms. We want to improve our Etsy shop and hope to create a solid profile, add more listings and participate in more teams on Etsy to get constructive feedback and learn from the veteran Etsians. Facebook is a unique channel to promote business because you can go all sorts of directions with it. We hope to create a strategic plan in 2013 to ensure consistency with our brand and narrow our focus. The website/blog is a whole different animal that we both want to improve in the New Year.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Mandi: I like to spend time with my husband and three little girls. We hope to do lots of camping and other outdoor activities this year.
Jessica: My love and I enjoy the outdoors as well. We’ve used our time living in Northern Nevada to explore the wild wild west. We have a love shack on wheels and try to chronicle our escapades here. I’ve been busy volunteering my time to different nonprofits and have neglected to keep up but my goal for 2013 is to be better about keeping up with our blog.
What is something about you that not many people know?
Mandi & Jessica: We’re the beautiful faces of this enterprise but we’re lucky to have loves that support our business and us. Not only do we get along super well but our loves do too. They like to gang up on us and give us a hard time all in good fun though. Mandi’s husband is a creative genius too. We’re hoping he wraps up his thesis soon so we can put him to work for the good of Rustic Relevance. The aprons that we sport at shows are pretty fabulous and it’s all thanks to Sheldon’s scrollwork. Ethan is working with Jessica to bring a new product line of steer horn centerpieces to fruition. He has a pretty good gag reflex and can deal with dead animals. They are thinking of opening up their own business called snow cones and sheet metal. We’ll let you know when that happens : ).
Anything else you'd like to share?
Jessica & Mandi: The awesome part about going at this business venture together is being able to support each other. Getting off track and losing momentum is easy to do if you’re flying solo. We’re super lucky to have found each other as friends because we get along well, collaborate well and lift each other up when we feel discouraged about our individual sales.
Social Media Links
{Bookmark} Website/Blog: www.rusticrelevance.com
{Like} Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/rusticrelevance
{Favorite} Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/RusticRelevance
