Mediums to Masses

This week, meet Mediums to Masses, an indie shop owned by Sarah Hirneisen, where you’ll find unique glass jewelry and modern home decor. You’ll love browsing through their website! Read through the interview to learn more………….

1. Tell us about your business & what propelled you to start your own shop.

My shop carries handcrafted fused glass jewelry and table-wares that combine fun vintage textile patterns with vibrant and modern glass colors. For the home, my items range from soap dishes and coaster sets to serving plates and candle holders. With my jewelry line, I create necklaces and earrings but also fun rings and cufflinks.

I’ve worked with the material glass for over 15 years now but I decided to start my own shop in 2005 because I became tired of working for other artists making their artwork. I had one boss in particular that really did me in and made me decide I wanted to be my own boss. Now that I’m a mother, an added perk to having my own business is being able to make my own hours.

2. Mother’s Day is coming up in May. Everyone is looking for gift ideas. What kind of gift suggestions do you have for moms?

I should preface this with the fact that I love jewelry and feel like you can never have enough so I feel like a really pretty piece of jewelry is a nice way to go for Mother’s Day. It doesn’t need to be a super expensive piece, but I think it’s nice to include kids when picking out the jewelry. I’ve noticed that pastels like mint green, pink, and violet are all popular colors this spring as well as floral patterns. Personally, I love a handmade card to go with it!

3. Where do you get your inspiration for new products?

I try and pay really close attention to trends in fashion and decide on new colors and patterns based off of those trends. I also listen to my customers. So, for example, when a few people requested a smaller sized necklace, I came up with my tiny glass pendants. I also get inspired by seeing what other people are making and feel it’s important to spend time looking at other shops, not just online, but brick and mortar as well as selling at retail events.

4. If you had one tip that you could give to entrepreneurs who either have a retail shop or are thinking about starting one…what would it be?

Have excellent customer service! As a buyer, I know that good customer service makes me a repeat customer. You need to have a nice product, but you also need to communicate well with your buyers. For online sales, let them know you have received their order and when you are shipping it. If there is a delay – tell them. Try to get your orders shipped out as quickly as possible. Even if you have specific policies for returns, try and be flexible about it and go out of your way to make sure the buyer is happy. Make your packaging nice! It’s an added touch that most people will appreciate. Also, offer discounts for repeat buyers.

Girls’ Night Out Designs

We’re visiting with Girls’ Night Out Designs this week (a New Hampshire-based business), where you can shop for handmade jewelry, beaded watches and cigar box purses with intoxicating style. For your browsing pleasure, each piece shares its name with a tasty mixed drink.

1. Tell us about your business, how you got started & how long you’ve been in business.

Girls’ Night Out Designs is a collection of handmade jewelry, beaded watches and cigar box purses with intoxicating style. I had always loved jewelry, but never thought of creating it until I saw a stone-setting workshop offered at a local art institute. I was severely out of place, as the others there had clearly been making jewelry for awhile.

The class was great (I created a pendant that I proudly wore almost every day), but it was the last 10 minutes of the workshop that really intrigued me. The instructor showed us some basic wire-wrapping techniques, and I thought, “Hey, I can do that”. So I ventured out to the nearest bead store I could find and fell in love. I kept a collection of necklaces on an empty over-the-door shoe rack, and pretty soon family and friends would stop by the “store” to shop for themselves and their friends! I made it official and started the website in 2005.

2. You must have some favorites. What are they?

I love the beaded watches. I think I’ve made one to match each outfit in my closet. They are a great way to mix beauty and practicality. A totally justifiable expense! I also really love the Ladies’ Night cigar box purses. The vintage dresses are gorgeous, and I love creating the perfect backdrop to let them shine.

3. Where do you get your inspiration for new products or items?

I get a lot of inspiration from my customers. Just recently, I’ve been working on a necklace made from materials suggested by one customer, a pair of earrings based on input from another and a whole line of jewelry that came out of a custom request from yet another.

4. Do you have anything new for spring? Please share it with our readers!

Yes! A new line of Mother’s Jewelry! This is the line that came from a customer’s request. She was looking for a special piece of mother’s jewelry, but didn’t like anything she found searching online. After some back and forth about her likes, needs and wants, we created a beautiful customizable bracelet that will be the highlight of the line. I’m launching my Mother’s Jewelry on April 2, just in time for Mother’s Day orders!

5. What one tip do you have for others who are thinking about starting their own businesses or are just starting out?

Make time for the fun stuff! I think many of us get caught up in the actual business end, whether it’s working on promotion, tracking expenses, buying supplies, etc., that we don’t leave as much time as we should to do what got us there in the first place. All these aspects of the business are important, but make sure to leave plenty of time to create and do what you love.