We're always in awe of the diversity of how our members set up their businesses. Many have online shops, work farmers markets, set up booths at big craft shows and network to make sales. Taking your mostly in-home business to a permanent retail space can feel daunting. Member Angela Price of Eden Condensed put her toe in the water as shop owner when her friend let her know that a space opened up in the shop she was in. The adorably "cozy" space is split nicely between Angela's terrariums and garden-themed wares and the natural skincare products by Danielle of Eco Apothecary. Their Silver Lake shop was on a unique, fun and developing stretch of Sunset Blvd. When we (KC and Sharon) found out about her space they had to visit!
The shop space neatly showcases vignettes of Angela's handmade creations and vintage products. Her background is in gardening and while largely self taught, you can see Angela's eye for detail and space usage in how she's laid out her product.
"I like that even though the space is small, I can do some work on my products while I'm here," Angela said. But little did we know that shortly after our visit, her shop-mate would be moving on to other ventures and Angela wouldn't be able to keep the store open on her own.
When we asked Angela about her decision to take the big leap into setting up a permanent space she had told us, "The location was really perfect and I wanted to see how I could do in a permanent space. I figure that the commitment is pretty low to get the chance to bring my business to a new set of people."
So, when she told us about the move, we knew she was already in the right entrepreneurial headspace to move on! After we found out the shop was closing we followed up with her on what she was feeling.
"It certainly wasn't a bad experience, but I did realize that I prefer working on my products and then bringing them to my customers through the artisan/craft shows and Etsy," she said. "I also want to spend more time designing and installing container gardens and being more visible as a small space gardening expert. I can reach a much larger audience through the shows and the videos I've done for eHow.com."
We love Angela's attitude of looking for new ventures, figuring out what works and rolling with things. It's the only way to move forward, right?
