Welcome to the first entry of BobbiJeanK Blogs. My hope is to educate and inspire by discussing various topics related to my small business to better help customers and other small business owners understand what it takes to run a small business. First up, let's talk about inventory.
Want to know one of the incredibly neat ideas behind how I design and make leather and wood earrings, bracelets, and necklaces?! There is no mass production of my work.
You won't find my earrings, bracelets, and necklaces by the dozens like on department store racks. In fact, some items are completely unique, one-of-a-kind. Other items are only produced 2-3 times pending the supplies on hand. And at the most only 8-10 pairs or so are made of any one earring design that may be more popular. Bracelets and necklaces may or may not be reproduced, and if they are, the designs may be slightly different. Even the popular Everyday Necklace, while made several at a time, each necklace is completely unique. Right now, all bracelet stacks and necklaces available on the website are 100% unique, so only you will have that special piece. Isn't that a wonderful feeling?
From time to time I will bring back a popular print, if I am able, usually months later, and for a limited time or until it sells out. I may often run a preorder on a more popular print or style that sold out rather quickly, producing maybe 15-18 pairs max (still an amazingly low amount of earrings so that you truly do have a special pair to call your own).
One of the most often asked questions I get is why I only offer a certain amount of earrings for a release (for example, only 5 pairs are available) or why I won't be able to make any more of a particular product. This answer is two-fold: First, I usually only offer a small amount of a new style or option of earring to test the waters and see how my customers like it. For example, when making wood earrings, I often start with only 5 pairs just case it does not sell well. As a small business owner, my goal is to not be "stuck" with earrings or items that I cannot sell or that are not popular. Offering a small amount allows me to see if it will be well-received. Second, I choose to only offer a small amount so that all of my items remain unique finds. Chances are unless you live around a lot of friends and family who have purchased the same earrings as you from my shop, you won't likely find anyone local to you with the exact same pair.
Another unique aspect to creating earrings is that even though 8-10 pairs may have sold, they do not all look the exact same. Due to the way genuine leather and cork on leather is made, the pattern on each pair of earrings may be slightly different from the picture you see on the website, therefore making your pair different from everyone else who also purchased that pair.
The above does not apply to such items as druzy studs, loop and hand braided earrings in the various suede colors, pot holder gift sets, wine bags, etc. that are more general items.
If you see a pair of earrings, a bracelet, or necklace you must have, be sure to snag it. You may have just snagged a one-of-a-kind gem or one that is in limited quantities. If you see an item you must have that someone has already claimed, feel free to comment, message, or e-mail me to see if it can be made again or if there is something similar I can create for you.
Being a small business owner allows me to have amazing creative flexibility including only producing a small amount of designs. I truly hope my shoppers understand my process and reasoning for doing so. Thank you for your continued support of my small shop.
