Monday, June 27, 2011

A Young Entrepreneur

When I approached Sarah and Jane through Etsy convo, I was pleasantly surprised to get this answer,"Thanks for the sweet note! Yes, my daughter, Sarah and I would feel honored to be featured in your blog." This mother daughter team work well together to make unique creations for each customer. You will love their work and, after the interview you will also love this young entrepreneur.

So now, here is Sarah from Sarah and Jane.
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1. Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Sarah Howland and with the support of my Mom, I launched Sarah and Jane
last summer...at the age of 16! I am blessed to have a whole room devoted just for allowing my creative juices to run wild! When I am not sewing (which is not often) I enjoy devouring delicious books, hanging out with friends, and of course shopping for fabric. My love for reading is how the name "Sarah and Jane" came to be. One of my favorite authors is Jane Austen...hence the Jane.






2. How did you begin working in your craft and how did it develop into a business?
I first started sewing when I was very little. My first creations were extremely lopsided pillows. As I grew older, my Mom actually taught me and other young girls how to properly sew. I really enjoy sewing clothing and tote-bags, but as I scoured a blog one day I saw a free pattern for fabric covered notebooks. After much perfecting I came up with the first Sarah and Jane notebook.





3. What is one of your favorite homeschool memories thus far?

I do not just have one particular favorite memory, but several instances immediately come to mind. When I was younger, my Mom would read out-loud to my older brother and I. My imagination ran wild and I truly fell in love with literature. Who knows what reading out-loud can do?





4. What advise would you give to other homeschool families who are also trying to run a home business?
Make sure you have time! My Mom and I started our business in the summer before my junior year. Once school started my courses munched every last bit of my time. It was very hard to take time and simply sew or imagine new designs. Even now, I am restocking the store because my studies have finished.



5. Where do you find inspiration for your pieces?
Most of my inspiration comes from seeing and touching the fabric. I can just picture what the fabric could be. My Mom also gives me tons of ideas, along with magazines, Etsy, and blogs.




6. Do you have specific goals for your business or for your homeschooling? Would you share some of those with us?
I am very interested in marketing so Sarah and Jane was at first an experiment to test my skills. I could not have done it without my Mom! But, Sarah and Jane has become a way for me to express my creativity and it also gives me a glimpse of how much goes into a business. My goal is to restock the online store and perhaps put some Sarah and Jane products in local stores. You can also find Sarah and Jane on Facebook.


Posted by VeryVerdant

10 comments:

Kelly Casanova said...

How wonderful to see a young homeschooled lady using her talents on Etsy. The notebooks are simply gorgeous Sarah, congratulations!

G.Dowell said...

So nice to meet you Sarah. You've made some lovely fabric notebooks. Great idea. Blessings to you and your business!

Scrapalooza said...

Love the notebooks. Great to see the entrepeneurial spirit alive & well in.

Ripsimeh said...

I want a beautiful jumper like what you show. How much for size 16? Convo me at Ripsimeh on etsy

Lacey (schoolhousefarm) said...

so inspiring! great job--lovely work!

עינבלית said...

Thank you for this interesting conversation. Sarah, it is nice yo meet you. Your notebooks are lovely, the colors and prints are beautiful.
Have a great DAY!

Ruby said...

I love your work, & I love how your mom has encouraged you to be creative. I'll be checking out your shop soon!
Ruby, (TrueRuby Designs on etsy)

Raggy Rat said...

what a lovely article, i love the colours and patterns of your chosen fabrics, you have a god eye xxxx

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

Inspiring article, and beautifully-made items. I particularly like the fabric-covered notebooks.

Sugar Pop Cafe said...

Very pretty indeed!