the truth.
I can't believe it's been three whole years since I started this biz, basically on a whim. Here's the honest truth of it all, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. Before my daughter's birth I had been a retail manager at a designer hand bag company, a Starbucks store manager, a Design Production Manager at a graphic design firm, a customer service rep at a property title company, a barista, a stain glass artist, and a book store display designer. Phew! My side hustles were always creative, like designing and hand making bespoke wedding invitations and family photography. Randomly, one year my sister had convinced me to buy a Silhouette Cameo so I could make her t-shirts for Christmas. And that is where the Peaberry Studio story began.
the early days.
After the t-shirts where made, I learned that vinyl and garments were not in my future. Man, that stuff is hard to work with! But I do LOVE paper, as proven by my design production and invitation making days. So I dabbled with several party decor ideas. I had a few of my daughter's birthday parties under my belt to know I enjoyed the process of designing and making all the decor. I think I posted 5 items in my brand new Etsy shop and went about my life. 10 days later, I got an email saying I had sold my first item. What the what?! Now the panic set in...how do I do this? There was so much to learn and do, and I didn't even have shipping supplies! Somehow I muddled my way through the first few months, and finally got a rhythm going. For the first year, each month almost doubled that previous month's sales. It was an exciting time. The pic below is of the very first item I sold, a dozen gold straw flags. I think the flag said "One" for a first birthday. Unfortunately, I no longer carry this gem as the gold glitter product I used is no longer available. But wasn't it cute? Also, my product photography has come a long way!
the changes.
Did you know that my business began as Sarah K. Creative? It was leftover from my invitation/photography days, and my maiden initial! I changed it to Peaberry Studio about a year later. Why peaberry, you ask? A peaberry is a small, round, rare, unique coffee bean that is highly sought after because only 5% of all beans have this peculiarity. Most coffee beans are flat on one side (they grow in pairs) and don't roast as evenly as the round peaberry. You're welcome for that fast coffee fact! I wanted a name that reflected the specialness of my products and the events there were heading to, as well as express my deep, undying love of coffee.
I probably spent a month designing the logo, it's always harder to design for yourself. The circle is for the roundness of the peaberry bean. The color is because it was my favorite growing up. The branch is for the coffee plant and continued growth. The watercolor look is because it was my favorite class in college. The tag line is because I believe every celebration should have some handcrafted personality to it.
the now.
the future.
As always, I promise to add new and exciting products to the line. The challenge is finding the time to launch all the ideas I have! By the holiday season I hope to hire part time help, so if you're a local creative, crafty person, drop me a line! I'll be doing more giveaways here and on Instagram...starting right now. All you have to do I drop me a comment below and you'll be entered to win $30 in Peaberry Studio shop credit. $30 to spend on anything you want! It's my way of saying thank you for all your support over the last three years. Now, I'm off to my pink champagne party to celebrate! Cheers to many more years!
- Sarah
Cookies by Fayola's Creations
Cake topper by Peaberry Studio
Cake and cupcakes by Vons
Tassel garland and paper plates by Target
Flowers, forks, and pink gems by Hobby Lobby
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