MINNEAPOLIS GIFT & ART EXPO

NOV 4-6, 2022 - MINNEAPOLIS CONVENTION CENTER

Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Dan Onkka, and I would describe myself as retired, except I’m working at making spin-n-serves 60 hours a week, so perhaps I should google “retirement” and see what I’ve missed!

My first career was as a retail and hospital pharmacist, then I moved into IT and spent 30+ years managing patient data at Fairview Hospital. I also spent 17 years as a leader in the Boy Scouts, and developed and taught my own course at the U of M for 10 years.

My business name is Onkkafirte. In 2016 my wife and I traveled to northern Finland and spent several days with a relative, visiting graves and seeing where my family came from. We found a homestead on “ONKKATIE” (tie means street in Finnish). Turns out this was the homestead where the Onkka surname was first used. Attached to a tree near the homestead was a wooden board, into which was carved “ONKKAFIRTE” – which I was told means “founded by Onkka”.

How did you get started in your business?
I have worked in wood for decades, and have built all our furniture, and that of our two sons. I sparted making lazy susans, first for personal use, then for family members. As retirement neared, I realized I could try my luck at making them as “art that works”. ? Working with wood gave me the tactile feedback I need to satisfy my creative side. Teaching mainframe computers to sing Mozart is fine – but you can’t touch it when you’re done!

What has been your favorite moment since creating your business?
This may sound strange, but at a Christmas fair I had a group of a dozen or more people watching me demonstrate how my product can be flipped, expanded, or even used as a side table. At the end of my spiel I went “off script” and shared with them that the money wasn’t important to me. That in fact I should thank them, because by taking home something I had made, and using it as part of their family meal each evening, they were paying me the most wonderful complement possible. I got a round of applause! 

What motivates you to create?
I seem to have this need to build, to create. Working in veneer gives me a large enough palette, and lazy susans give me a vehicle.

Have you always been passionate about art and design?
I still struggle with the idea that I’m an “artist”. But passionate about design? Yup!

Will you be featuring any special holiday items?
I have several designs I only make as Christmas approaches. One features a poinsettia, another holly leaves. I used to make a Christmas tree design – but it just takes too long!

How do you usually prepare for the holiday season?
Fall 2021 was just crazy – my sales were much higher than I had anticipated. So I’ve been working like mad all year to have enough inventory for Christmas 2022!

What is the latest thing you have been working on?
I make sets of table legs (which are also reversible). As the cost of materials have increased, I’ve had to reinvent how I make them – and now I can make them using any veneer my customers want. Just think – table legs that match the spin-n-serve it supports!

What is your favorite item that you sell?
The table legs. Because it shows the customer has truly understood that my product is capable of. Not just something for the dining room table, but something that can be used every day in multiple ways.

Have you had any major failures? If so, what were some important insights gained?
Some veneer (especially birds eye maple) will curl while applying glue. Sometime that means the end result is a surface with bubbles. Bad news! Cure is to have a spray bottle of water so I can lightly spritz the BACK side of the veneer to balance out the stress.

What are some tips or suggestions you would like to offer to fellow makers?
Grab yourself by the ear and drag yourself out of your comfort zone. If you don’t put yourself out there, people can’t say yes!

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
I think it’s the flexibility combined with usefulness. A spin-n-serve actually performs a function. That it does so while having one side with bright and vibrant colors, and the other with a neutral platform provide a nice mix of fashion (décor?) and function.

What do you love most about craft show vending?
Keeps me busy, gives me a purpose, get me out of the house, keeps me out of my wife’s hair. And it generates enough revenue to cover my costs. And I get to meet lots of people who tell me my stuff is beautiful!

Handcrafted by Onkkafirte

www.spinandserve.com

www.facebook.com/SpinAndServe

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Jessica – the Candlemaker and Cocktail Shaker behind Flicker & Fizz, which creates spirited candle and cocktail pairings, hand-poured in vintage glassware. I pour one, you pour the other.

Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?

I love how Flicker & Fizz captures both aspects of the scent and sip experience you receive with every curated candle and cocktail set.

How did you get started in your business?

I have been collecting vintage glassware for years and using it to curate inspired entertaining experiences for friends and family. Finding the perfect cocktail to complement any occasion is my specialty, along with creatively repurposing vintage items in unexpected ways. Flicker & Fizz allows me to do all these things and provide customers with a unique scent and sip experience of their own.

What has been your favorite moment since creating your business?

I love the responses I receive from new customers when they first discover what Flicker & Fizz is all about. Their enthusiasm is so rewarding, especially when they keep coming back to discover something new. I’ve even had a few people come up to me at markets who have told me how excited they were to see something completely original and different than anything else they’ve ever seen before.

Where do you see your business in 3 years?

I hope to have my own studio space where I can host small group events and private shopping parties.

Have you always been passionate about art and design?

Absolutely. Creativity has always been a part of my life thanks to my parents. My dad was a high school art teacher, and my mom is an avid quilter/seamstress. They were the original dumpster-diving hipsters from the 1970s, always finding ways to reuse found items and put their own finishing touches on them.

What do you think sets your designs apart from others?

I think people are drawn to the unique and thoughtful touches Flicker & Fizz brings. Everything is hand-picked and curated into a cohesive set that is perfect for gifting to others or keeping for yourself. People appreciate how Flicker & Fizz isn’t just one thing – it’s the combination of the candle, cocktail, and vintage glasses that really elevates our sets to a full scent and sip experience. There’s also a reuse and sustainability aspect that really resonates with people – they love that Flicker & Fizz gives a new life to antique and vintage pieces.

Will you be featuring any special holiday items?

Yes! I have been collecting some larger antique decorative glass vessels to create more standalone statement décor pieces that I’ll be debuting for the holidays. Although I love the cocktail side of things, I know that not everyone drinks or is interested in barware, so I want to provide a similar thoughtful product that incorporates my love of repurposing vintage home décor items.

What do you love most about craft show vending?

I love meeting people at shows and introducing them to the full Flicker & Fizz scent and sip experience. And watching their reactions as the concept sinks in – their eyes usually light up with excitement. It’s so fun to watch.

www.flickerfizz.com

www.instagram.com/shopflickerandfizz

www.facebook.com/ShopFlickerAndFizz

Who are you and what do you do?
I am a Minneapolis based artist and lifelong learner who continues to work on the craft and practice my skills daily. My love for the arts is shown through my original artwork, prints, greeting cards, stickers, and commissions. The artwork I make is of a variety of mediums, colored pencil, graphite, acrylic, acryla gouache, gouache, watercolor, really anything that I can experiment with I will! Trying new things is very fun for me.

Is this a full-time business for you?
This is currently not my full-time business & I am working every day to make it my main livelihood, due to the fact I love the arts. I will continue to work on growing my business every day until I make this my full-time business.

How did you get started in your business?
Practicing the fine arts has given me a way to express myself and put a smile on others' faces as well as my own. This business started because I fell in love with making artwork for others and myself. During the process I figured out that it was possible to make a living with my art and although this is not my full-time source of income yet, I do it for the love of art and will continue no matter what.

What motivates you to create?
What motivates me to create is being able to make something beautiful and put it into the world for everyone to enjoy. The colors of the rainbow being used in different ways than you would see in the natural world is so much fun, the pencil on the paper illustrates whatever I want, it can be whatever I make it.

What valuable experience/knowledge did you have before starting your business?
The most important thing I had to get my business up and running was love for what I was doing and the belief that I can make something great out of it. Other than that, to keep learning from everything I do. Figure out what works, what doesn’t work. Practice, learn as much as possible, plan, execute the plan, if it isn’t working, change it and keep moving forward.

Violet Lux Official
BY
Collette La Beau

www.instagram.com/violet.lux.official

violetluxofficial.square.site
 

Who are you and what do you do?
We are a sister-owned faith-based company local to Minnesota. At Velvet Honey, we make beautiful clothes and jewelry that you will want to wear every day. Clothes with a message and jewelry made of agates and gemstones for unique purposes. We make pieces that will start a conversation or be a reminder just for you so that you live with intention. We want to help people not only be fashionable, beautiful, and confident but to live purposefully doing what God made you, specifically, to do.

How did you get started in your business?
Annie and Alexandra have matching tattoos on their arms, from Esther 4:14 that say, “Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.” It is a daily reminder that everything counts. Annie started as an esthetician and Alexandra as a hairstylist. They both have a passion for making people feel beautiful inside and out. Abby is a social worker and helps people every day to meet their needs in the community. We are all tied together in our love to serve God by taking care of people. In our day-to-day jobs, we are encouraged not to speak about our faith, so we don’t offend the people we’re serving. We all felt a need to find a way to do something we loved while boldly proclaiming God’s love. Through this need, Annie came up with the idea to launch Velvet Honey and quickly got Alexandra on board. Ali has always had a creative brain and immediately jumped into creating the beaded pieces and jewelry you see today. Abby was the last to join the team and has found a passion for writing and business she didn’t even know existed. We are so proud of where God has led us through this journey and look forward to the things to come!

What is the latest thing you have been working on?
Our Summer Sale! Over the past several weeks we’ve been working on narrowing our featured products to streamline what we offer. We launched Velvet Honey in July 2021, and over the past year have learned so much, and with that a clearer vision of what we want Velvet Honey to become. During the Holiday show, we are looking forward to clearing out our inventory to create space for new simpler, cleaner, pieces. So, expect lots of wonderful original pieces at a lower cost!

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
The versatility! Our products can be worn in so many ways. The owners of Velvet Honey wear many different hats, (hair stylist, social worker, esthetician, entrepreneur, mom, dog mom, cat mom, wife, yogi, churchgoer, etc), so we needed jewelry that accommodated all of that. Our pieces are perfect for running to the grocery store or making that killer pitch at work. And each piece is always made with love and purpose.

What do you love most about craft show vending?
We love being able to see people! It is such a different experience being able to interact with the individuals who are buying our products. Anyone who speaks with Alexandra can clearly see the love that was poured into creating and making each piece and her passion to create. We love hearing stories from people of how they think one of our bracelets, necklaces, or clothing items will be a light to someone as a gift or how it will help them in their unique journey. What a blessing it is to share in someone’s story.

www.velvet-honey.com

www.instagram.com/velvethoney__

www.facebook.com/velvethoneyy

Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Lauren and I am the owner and founder of Cosmic Child, an online healing crystal boutique. I have developed many relationships with people all across the world to source high vibrational, ethically sourced, unique crystals. Whether you are looking for vibrational medicine or a decorative statement piece for your home, it is my goal to help that special stone find you.

Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
My business is named after my daughter. An astrologer once told me she is a cosmic child. When I was looking for inspiration for my business name I came across my notes about her and it clicked!

What valuable experience/knowledge did you have before starting your business?
I’ve always worked in advertising and branding. I also have a background working for a photographer and producer. I produce and style my photography and create all my graphic design. Getting the chance to be creative with my branding is probably my favorite part about the business.

Is this a full-time business for you?
It is. I quit my job after I had my second child. As my kids got older I wanted to start something of my own and do something positive with my downtime.

Where do you see your business in 3 years?
In 3 years I would love to grow my online presence. I could also see myself opening an actual physical location. There is something special about picking your crystals out in person.

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
People like crystals for two reasons. They will seek a certain crystal for their healing properties. For example, there are specific crystals that carry the energies of love, creativity, and protection. Some balance emotions, increase your intuition and enhance your dreams. Then there are customers who might not be as interested in the properties, but they want something beautiful in their homes. Either way, you are raising the vibration of your space - whether you know it or not.

What do you love most about craft show vending?
The people. I always meet amazing customers and vendors. It's fun to make connections with people you otherwise wouldn't have the chance to meet.

What is your favorite item that you sell?
My favorite item and best seller is the Celestite cluster. It's a gorgeous blue calming stone that literally means "heavenly.” It will help you connect to the cosmos and activate your natural psychic gifts, calm an overactive mind and increase mental clarity.

Will you be featuring any special holiday items?
Crystals make great gifts for the holidays! During the holiday season, I will carry a lot of crystals at the $30 and under price point. They can be kid's gifts, stocking stuffers, teacher's gifts, or wow gifts. A popular holiday gift is my crystal starter kit. It is a pouch of 5 tumble stones that I think everyone should have in their collection. It includes Quartz - the master healer, Green Aventurine - the good luck charm, Rose Quartz - the love stone, Blue Calcite - the calming stone and Pyrite - the wealth and abundance stone.

www.cosmicchildcrystals.com
 

www.instagram.com/cosmicchildcrystals
 

www.facebook.com/CosmicChildCrystals

Who are you and what do you do?
Miranda Rosa, quilt artist and maker of home linens
 

Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
When my parents opened their quilt and gift shop, I wanted to call it a variety of names with Wonder in it. Teenage me though they picked a boring name. So, when I opened my own business, it was pretty easy. Plus, as my whims with textile take me in different directions, I don't need to change my name!

Is this a full-time business for you?
Yes! For 5 years now it has been.
 

What has been your favorite moment since creating your business?
The day I quit my day job. It was terrifying but, especially these last two years, I’m grateful I took the plunge.
 

What valuable experience/knowledge did you have before starting your business?
I watched my parents open and close a restaurant and a gift/quilt shop. The former because it really was a failure, it wasn't sustainable. And it was ok. The latter was quite successfully, but my mom was sick. I got to see much of the process and learn from the good and bad.
 

What are some tips or suggestions you would like to offer to fellow makers?
It is so much more work than you realize! It's not all fun, but the flexibility and doing something I love are worth it. Ease into it. I started out part time and worked up to full time.
 

Where do you see your business in 3 years?
I'm really happy with where I'm at. I have a strong online presence and a regular show circuit. I hope to have a long arm quilting machine to make those large projects easier.
 

What do you love most about craft show vending?
Seeing people enjoy my makes and getting feedback, ideas for new products to meet their needs.
 

Have you always been passionate about art and design?
I have sewn now for more than 20 years, so yeah. I was the person in my mom's quilt shop with purple hair at age 15 helping people more than twice my age pick colors for their quilts. It's such an ingrained part of who I am.
 

What was your first memory of making something?
Participating in the 4-H Fashion Show at age 9 in my banana yellow suit jacket and skirt I made with matching yellow hat. It was, something...
 

Why did you start working in this craft?
I've tried all sorts of kinds of sewing and this one stuck. Once I realized I had the freedom to throw away most of the patterns and rules I was hooked.

What motivates you to create?
The piles of scraps building up from more craft-y projects. I'll suddenly sit down and go through those piles and come out with pot holders, oven mitts and bowl cozies!
 

What are some inspirations for your work?
Floor tile! So many floor tiles make good quilts. Some paintings scream quilt at me too.
 

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
Color and cats! You need to have pot holders, oven mitts, etc. in your kitchen. Why let them be boring?
 

What do you think sets your designs apart from others?
I'm not afraid of color. I endeavor to use every bit of fabric so little is wasted. I try to make pieces of all sorts of price points so everyone can have something handmade that brings them joy.
 

What is your favorite item that you sell?
The improvisational pieces, table runners, place mats, quilts. The random piecing tons of little pieces left over from other projects together to see what comes of it is so satisfying.
 

What is the latest thing you have been working on?
I'm creating fall table runners and kitchen linens using hand dyed cotton batik fabrics between art fairs.
 

Will you be featuring any special holiday items?
I'm hoping to add artistic Christmas stockings this holiday season and pot handle holders - I've received many requests for these and I aim to please!
 

How do you usually prepare for the holiday season?
I make so many microwave bowl cozies, just about everyone can use one, and if they already have some, theirs may need refreshing!
 

www.mybitofwonder.com

www.facebook.com/mybitwonder

www.instagram.com/mybitofwonder

Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Randall Peterson and I have enjoyed creating my artworks in the style of pointillism since 1989. During this time, I have created over 250 pieces that are part of my collection of art, commissioned projects and more. My wife Kathleen and I reside in Forest Lake, Minnesota and have for over 40 years.

How did you get started in your business?
I have been in the graphic arts/publishing industry for over 50 years and retired from the industry in December 2021. While working full time in the graphic arts/publishing industry, I started my artwork business in 1989. I started with a collection of artwork that included lighthouses and points of interest from all over the United States. I also have a collection of commissioned projects that are included in my portfolio of artwork. I have always had the desire to draw and in the style of pointillism. My creativity brought me into a great state of meditation. My original drawings take me 36 to 50 hours to complete.

Have you always been passionate about art and design?
What my artwork has brought to me - Over the years, I have come to understand the true meaning and value of passion, patience, and persistence in life. These qualities when combined together bring any vision to life. Whether I am speaking to a group of art students or folks who stop by at my art shows, it is my focus to let it be known that we all have our special gifts. With passion, patience, and persistence any dream of creativity is born.

What are some inspirations for your work?
We all inspire one another. It is the inspiration and the encouragement from the hearts of others that make creating so very special. Each one of us has a gift within whether it is drawing, painting, photography, theater, dancing, singing, etc… I absorb from all this what others have to offer. Creativity inspires creativity. It is an unending process of learning and sharing which is something that I enjoy most in life.

What motivates you to create?
To create as an artist is only half of the joy. The other half comes in the sharing and in the inspiring of dreams to flow freely from the hearts of all. To believe is how all creativity originates. The fulfillment of following an inner vision from beginning to end opens the heart to great awareness of what lives within. This is what I hope to inspire as you look through my artworks. To envision walking the streets or smelling the flowers, feeling the sea breeze or touching a stoned structure. To be free to dream is my dream for you.

What is the latest thing you have been working on?
As any traditional artist, we try to find our creativity in a style and medium that we like to work in. Whether it is in watercolor, oil paints, pastels, pencil, charcoal, mixed media, it is all in the heart of the creator. For many years, I have been creating in the style of pointillism using the medium of pen and ink. In recent years, I have added watercolor to combine with the pen and ink.

What do you love most about the process of creating a piece?
Whenever I create a piece of artwork, it becomes me and I become it. This joining as one between artist and subject brings great calmness to the heart as if being alive in a dream. I am in the artwork walking the grounds of a castle or climbing the steps of a lighthouse. This connection heightens as the art piece nears completion. One of the greatest joys is to witness the smiles and happiness these creations bring to others.

Will you be featuring any special holiday items?
I will be working on a composition that will be a part of this holiday season scheduled to be completed by October 1st. I do have many favorites in my collection but 3 of my favorite are - Beneath the Stone Arch Bridge, Cathedral of Saint Paul, and The Six Pence Pub.

Artist Statement

It starts with a dream. Keep your dreams alive whatever they may be. always hold hope and never give up. From journeys in the pursuit of your dreams come the opportunities in your life.

www.etsy.com/shop/TraditionalArtwork

www.facebook.com/RandallPetersonDesignsInc

www.instagram.com/randall_peterson_collection

Lisa Fertig’s Artist Statement

I paint in two distinct styles, representational and abstract, which may at first appear irreconcilable, but are in fact two aspects of the same journey. For one, I venture out. For the other, I venture in. For both, the outcome is the same.

My representational work embodies my response to the environment, particularly to the countryside and to the shades, shadows, and colors of early mornings and late afternoons. As I paint, I recall and re-experience the peace and freedom of the open air as well as the spectacular and captivating qualities of the great outdoors.
This meditative act of creating art about real places inspires and
centers me in my life.

When painting in abstract, I travel inward, exploring and responding to progressions of thoughts and emotions deep within my mind. Free of visual constraints, these intangible introspective meditations take no recognizable form. Instead, they manifest themselves as successive, unfolding, and spontaneous adventures in color, texture,
and composition.

No matter how or what I paint, whether the inspiration comes from within or without, the destination remains the same. I achieve relative moments of closure, of completeness, and of peace. Most importantly, my art affirms my belief in the oneness of body, mind,
and the world in which we live.

What motivates you to create?
While painting realistically what motivates me is trying to capture the essence of the light and how it plays on the composition. When painting non-objectively or abstractly the painting will direct me as the process continues making intuitive decisions.

What was your first memory of making something?
When I was 8 I told my parents that I wanted to paint, it was at that point that I felt a strong desire in my soul to express my feelings through paint.

What do you think sets your designs apart from others?
My background in art school was graphic design and I feel that with that structure in addition to the fine arts field my paintings are unique that it is a combination of both fields.

What do you love most about craft show vending?
What I enjoy the most about exhibiting at Art Fairs is the people and the interest and feedback that I get from them about my work. It is always helpful to see what other people see in my work.

www.lisafertig.com

www.facebook.com/lisafertigfineart

www.instagram.com/lisa.fertig

Who are you and what do you do?
I am Kathy Leighton Carton, founder, and owner of Heavenly Treats. I've always loved the taste of toffee (doesn't everyone?) and so when I learned how to make this yummy treat back in 1980, I was
determined to create a toffee like no other. I believe we have done just that. My passion to make the
best toffee ever is what drives me. I am finding that the possibilities with our product are endless. We also create the best toffee cookies with the bits and pieces of our toffee.

What do your customers love most about your products?
What makes our toffee unique, is the thinness of it. I have sampled a vast array of different toffees and you will not find a toffee like ours out in the market. People LOVE how delicate and crisp it is. Any age is able to eat our toffee. We have perfected it in such a way spreading it as thin as possible. Our toffee is made one batch at a time. We now offer 6 toffee flavors (milk, dark, coffee mocha, orange twist, peppermint and peanut butter). Another thing that is unique about our product is we do not waste anything. All the tidbits that we cannot use for our toffee orders are saved and are baked into cookies.

Where did your business name come from? Is there a story behind it?
Back in 1980 while attending my first staff Christmas party as a new teacher, a co-worker (who
happened to be a nun) brought her homemade toffee to share; it was a little slice of heaven! She taught myself and a couple other teachers how to make it. (Hence the name, Heavenly Treats) I was
determined to make this delectable confection adding my very own touches. Over the years, I've
created a unique, delicious, buttery toffee. This Heavenly Treat is handcrafted in small batches using all natural ingredients. It is crisp, delicate, and the thinnest toffee you will ever experience.

What do you love most about craft show vending?
The people I meet! The people that come up to our booth and sample our products are wonderful to
talk with and to share our treats with them. I also really enjoy getting to know other vendors and sharing ideas and business strategies with them.

What are some tips or suggestions you would like to offer to fellow makers?
Follow your passion! You'll never "work" a day in your life because of the love you have for your
business. Hire good people, those that you can trust and that enjoy coming to work. You can't do it all, so let go of tasks that others can complete, this allows you the time to work on other areas of your business. Most of all, have fun!

www.shopheavenlytreats.com 

www.instagram.com/htreats/

www.facebook.com/HeavenlyTreats/

Who are you and what do you do?
We are Spriggan Stone LLC dba Spriggan Stone, Yellow Bird Arts, and Yellow Bird Fine Art. We got our start when two jewelry designers, Quay Flom and Kenny Albrecht decided to join forces. We have two Art galleries/jewelry studios, Yellow Bird Arts & Yellow Bird Fine Art. We sell an assortment of artwork such as paintings, pottery, glass, jewelry and more with a combined total of over 100 local (Duluth, MN & Grand Marais, MN) and regional (Northern Midwest) artists. We also sell an assortment of handpicked Fair-Trade items such as leather goods, candles, incense, teas, and more.

Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
Kenny and Quay are both into the Renaissance, mythical, sci-fi, fantasy, anime worlds. They are both jewelers, so that is where the Stone part comes in, Gemstones. And Spriggans are mythical tree fae. And a lot of their designs resemble jewelry you would see in those types of worlds.

How did you get started in your business?
Quay and Kenny both started creating for themselves. Soon thereafter, they started participating in local and regional art and craft shows, as well as online. And later added brick and mortar stores.

What has been your favorite moment since creating your business?
The sheer joy and beauty we bring to people and their lives. There is nothing like putting a smile on someone’s face.

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
Our customers love that we hand create our jewelry. They also love our wide selection of hand-picked Fair-Trade products and well curated artwork from over 100 local and regional artists.

What is your favorite item that you sell?
That is a really tough question. If we had to pick just one, it would probably be the handcrafted jewelry that we create. Seeing someone's face light up when they have found just the right piece is amazing.

Have you always been passionate about art and design?
Yes, we both have been passionate about the arts and design our whole lives. We are both 4th generation artists. We both believe in helping artists create a sustainable living from their artwork, versus living in the starving artist stigma.

What was your first memory of making something?
One of Quay’s first memories of making something was when she was about 4 or 5 when she got her first mini sewing machine. She was going to monogram her dad's handkerchiefs. Well, the funny thing is she sewed them all shut, LOL.

Why did you start working in this craft?
Quay got started creating jewelry for herself as she has metal allergies and couldn’t just wear anything off the shelf at the stores. Her jewelry business blossomed when friends and family members wanted her creations and then convinced her to go into business for herself.
Kenny got started in jewelry thanks to the influence of his grandfather who was well renowned while he worked in the jewelry industry. He always dreamed of having his own jewelry studio/gallery.

What do you think sets your designs apart from others?
We specially hand curate all the stones, handmade glass that go into each piece. Quay has amazing attention to detail and design ideas when it comes to her wire weaving and silversmithing. Kenny can think outside the box and turn leftover pieces of metal from other projects into something truly beautiful.

What are some inspirations for your work?
We both live along the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior which provides us with tons of inspiration. We also find inspiration in architecture, nature, and just about anything else that tickles our fancy.

How does the city you live in influence your work?
We have access to some amazing materials due to where we live. Some of those materials include Lake Superior Agates, Lake Superior Beach Glass and hunks of metal found along the shores of the beautiful Lake Superior.

What motivates you to create?
There are many different things that motivate us to create. Gemstones and playing with fire and metal. I suppose that is part of why we love creating jewelry. Seeing how we can manipulate metal with our hands and fire is truly mesmerizing.

Where do you see your business in 3 years?
We hope to continue to grow the show circuit, as well as our brick-and-mortar locations. We are hoping to have 1-3 new stores open in the coming years.

Have you had any major failures? If so, what were some important insights gained?
Hiring people with characteristics and beliefs that did not align with our company's values and mission. However, it helped us hone the characteristics and beliefs we are looking for in future employees.

What valuable experience/knowledge did you have before starting your business?
Kenny grew up in his Mom’s business, The Trestle Inn. An amazing restaurant smack dab in the middle of the Superior National Forest. He also learned a lot from his grandfather about gemology.

What made you take this leap into being your own boss?
Kenny and Quay both come from lines of entrepreneurs and artists. So it is not surprising that they became entrepreneurs themselves. Their knowledge, expertise, and characteristics complement each other helping them to be a successful team. They both dreamed of being in business for themselves.

What are some tips or suggestions you would like to offer to fellow makers?
Find like-minded people in your field and work together as a mastermind or get a mentor. We all bring different talents, expertise, and knowledge to the table. Having others to inspire, bounce ideas off of, and seek out advice is crucial. Never stop learning, be open to criticism, and continue to improve. Kenny and Quay are students for life and are always working to be a better version of themselves today than they were yesterday. And never stop creating. You bring beauty into the world, and we all could use more beauty in our lives.

What do you love most about craft show vending?
We love traveling, meeting new people, and connecting them with amazing products. Whether made by an artist or from our hand-picked line of Fair-Trade products.

Will you be featuring any special holiday items?
We have a number of amazing great gift giving items for the holiday season. We will have leather-bound journals, purses, wallets, candles, incense, sage, pottery, teas, jewelry, and more.

How do you usually prepare for the holiday season?
We are normally preparing for the holiday season starting in April, it never hurts to have a head start.

What is the latest thing you have been working on?
Currently we have been working on restocking our jewelry inventory after just ending our season at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.