Welcome to 2 Hearts Apparel! I have dreamt of having this online store for many years and I'm finally making it come true! I want my first blog to introduce myself to those who don't know me and those who know me but don't know all of me.
As a kid I grew up with my dad being an Entrepenuer owning his own advertising company and working from home. It always fascinated me the way he ran his business and watching it grow from the small room built in the garage to a large office down the street from his house. He has since retired in 2018 but still helps to guide those who look for a future in advertising and graphics as well.
Fast forward to me...I have been making variuos crafts since I was a kid starting with cutting up old clothes to make clothes for my barbies which was AH-mazing! Over the years I've done cross stitch, painting, jewelry making, chocolate making and sewing, lots and lots of sewing! My main love is sewing especially sewing shirts and purses for my family and friends.
I started to sell on Etsy back in 2010 having 3 shops at once selling various stuff which was great but still not enough sales with Etsy being pretty young and many people still not knowing it, but I pressed on anyways. As the years went by the fees went up and more and more sellers were really feeling the Etsy burn, myself included. I finally ended my Etsy shops a few years ago leaving me offline for a while as I figure out what to do.
I did some craft shows throughout the years which were a lot of fun but not frequent enough as competition grew amongst crafters grabbing the open spots in some of the best shows even if they didn't show up because it guaranteed them a spot in future dates as long as they paid for the space. I was left once again figuring out what to do with my business and what is my main niche out of all that I create.
I finally decided to start my own website once the pandemic hit since ALL craft events were shut down. I was excited to do it but the excitement quickly left a little bit after I launched the site. It was starting to become what I didn't want and more of what someone else wanted so it could "quickly" make money but it was in no way a reflection of me and my dream. I came to a point where I didn't really wanna make money because I couldn't enjoy my earnings and honestly say my site is a reflecton of me.
I knew I needed a big change in my life as well as my daughter and mothers after going through so much over 15 years so I ended the situation I was in this May and moved them out with me in July. I had to work as hard as I could just to make sure we survive which I knew we would cause my mom always told me I was a survivor and an overcomer which I've always taken to heart. It also left no time to work on my business but I knew it was coming.
As things got better and I was finally able to breathe I spoke to my childhood friend and the most creative person I know to help me design shirts cause I finally figued out my niche and enjoyed it so much! He was happy to come onboard and created the first designs on my site which means so much to me knowing the love I have for dinosaurs since I was 2. I know I can count on him and his creativity to move this website forward.
I met a new friend who does the prints I need for my shirts and working with him is definitely a learning curve but I want to know the in's and out's of my business so I'm up for the challenge. I feel so blessed adding him to my team and knowing he's gonna be a life long friend.
I just relaunched my website on Nov 6, the day before my 42nd birthday and it's super exciting! Its simple and only has a few things but its mine and a reflecton of me and overtime it'll have more things but I haven't been this proud since my daughter and I took her first visit to Disneyland without her wheelchair!
Life is amazing and as I continue to reinvent myself (my friend told me that's what I'm doing) I want that to be reflected in my business as well as my everyday life. I wake up excited to work on my business and I want to share that journey with everyone so thank you for taking the time to read this and continue the journey with me!
Love always
Jay!