Rebecca Haas has been an independent jeweller for over 20 years.
She has a small jewelry design studio based in idyllic Southern Vermont.
Each unique piece is handcrafted with skill and care by Rebecca in her hilltop studio from ethically sourced metals.
Rebecca makes simple, nature inspired jewelry with bold yet delicate lines.
Her work is designed to fit seamlessly into your life, and skillfully crafted with the strength to be worn and enjoyed every day.
Her aesthetic is understated yet refined, creating a look that is elegant and timeless.
In today’s episode she shares how her business has grown and evolved over the years, and how/where she sells and markets her work – without Etsy.
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Show Notes
- After taking a gap year between school and college, Rebecca lived in Mexico for 6 months and this is where she first learned to make jewellery.
- Rebecca graduated from college in 2000, and went straight into making jewellery, taking on two part time apprenticeships, covering very different styles of jewellery: one beaded work, the other a high-end jeweller. This also showed Rebecca two different business models.
- One of the jewellers that Rebecca was apprenticed to offered her a shelf to sell her own items on consignment out of a store in Brooklyn.
- Rebecca was approached by a showroom who would take a line of jewellery and take it to different shows for sale. This was before Instagram, digital photos were difficult, and everything had to be physically printed to take to the shows. Rebecca would then receive faxed orders.
- Eventually Rebecca had her own studio where she would create seasonal collections, and the showroom would maintain the customer relationships and take a cut of sales. This meant however, that Rebecca was not making any money so left the showroom and relocated to Vermont.
- In 2008, with the recession in the United States, many stores that Rebecca had worked with were struggling or closed down.
- Rebecca invested time in learning how to take good pictures of her work so she could reinvent her business and post on Instagram or sell directly from her website.
- However, this approach was not cost effective or profitable.
‘… I knew if I stopped, it would be really hard to start (the business) again. So, what can I do? I’m just going to say yes to everything, this is going to be my year of yes.’ {Rebecca}
- This meant the business model was much less defined, but it gave Rebecca an idea of what would work for the business: one third from the website, one third from wholesale, and one third from craft shows.
- The current economic climate was discussed as this is a noticeable issue since the boom of the Covid years.
- Jess queried how Rebecca’s minimalist style developed.
‘I like things to have a little bit of wonkiness to them which allows every piece to be a little bit different…this makes it feel a little bit more personal… I try and find a balance between minimalism and natural elements… little mountainscapes and things that are very Vermont-y.’ {Rebecca}
- Other selling platforms were discussed, including Etsy which Rebecca used early on but found this a negative experience. The website is her preferred method as this gave her more control over the brand and the look, and you can tell your story the way you want to. Jess agreed that there are negatives involved with Etsy that many makers are not aware of.
- Rebecca spoke about her marketing strategy. There is a large focus on Instagram as this has resulted in many new customers, however Rebecca mainly utilises this platform, and her attendance at craft shows, to drive traffic to her website.
- Rebecca also spends time around customer service, good communication, prompt supply of orders, nice packaging, etc. as this often leads to repeat customers.
- An email list is also important to stay in touch with customers.
- Jess queried how Rebecca gets customers on her mailing list. Rebecca’s website has a pop-up window for new visits to the site which includes an incentive for joining the email list. She also takes details from customers for the email list when at craft shows.
- Jess suggested that another method for email lists would be to offer a discount for signing up, and then using a simple QR code to give them access, rather than using paper forms.
- Rebecca discussed her work life balance, and how she learned to become protective of her family time. This is important as it helps her to stay creative and inspired with her work, and it is beneficial to her wellbeing.
- Jess noted that there is a lot of creative energy that goes into a handmade business, and not just creating the products. There is also producing marketing posts, photography of products, etc.
- The challenges of running a handmade business were discussed. The work is never finished as things are always changing, whether that is the sales platforms, marketing platforms, economic climate, people’s taste etc.
- The importance of taking time out and resting was spoken about. For Rebecca, hiring a studio manager has given her more mental energy to plan, design, and focus on the creative side of the business. For Jess, this involves monthly planning days, and an annual planning retreat to help her keep her momentum going.
- Rebecca has two quotes: One on her wall is ‘Work hard to be nice to people.’
- And her other quote is ‘Do the work’. This saying is important to Rebecca when she gets lost in tasks or is overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to start, just sit down, think about one thing at a time and do some work. Making the product can often be a calming process.
‘If it was your hobby and now it’s becoming your business, it changes your relationship with the craft… you’re not just making purely for your own enjoyment or purely for fun anymore, there’s another layer on top of that. For some people that enhances it and for some people that destroys it.’ {Jess}
- You can find Rebecca on her website, rebeccahaas.com, and on Instagram, @rebeccahaas.
