The Grand Forks Herald sat down with Shelby Legg, who started Cupid’s Bowtique & Jewelry Keeps in 2021, for 5 Questions this week.
Q: Why did you decide to start Cupid’s Bowtique & Jewelry Keeps?
A: I just decided to start after I had my daughter. I was used to working full time, and then I had her. I had her Valentine's Day right before the pandemic. I was home a lot with her, and I just kind of started making things for her. That grew into making things for friends and family and then into me creating a business page and stuff like that and getting orders that way. Now I have a website, too. It was a way that I could work from home and still take care of my daughter. I stay home with my daughter during the week when my husband, and I can still work and it keeps me busy.
Q: What kinds of products do you make?
A: First I started with bows, headbands. Scrunchies and hair accessories, basically, is what I started with. It grew from there. I kind of wanted to do a breast milk ring for myself with preserved breast milk. So, I looked into how to make that. I can also make stones for keepsake jewelry with other special inclusions such as ashes or hair. First, I made a few things for myself, and then I've made a few other pieces for people that were interested. Then I got a machine, so I made clothing now, which has become my favorite, actually, making children's clothing and stuff. So, I definitely do a little bit of everything.
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Q: How do you make these accessories, and how long does it take?
A: It's a little bit of a process. The bows and headbands and stuff like that are a little bit quicker to do. Making the clothing does take a little bit more time just because I have to sew each piece together. It does take me a little bit of time, but usually I work at night after my daughter's in bed, so it gets to be a little bit crazy. But it’s anywhere from half an hour to a couple hours for an outfit. It just depends on what I'm making for somebody. If I’m doing a breast milk keepsake jewelry piece for someone, it usually is a couple day process. I first have to preserve their milk to extract all traces of liquid. When I get it from a liquid to a solid, I can then break it down into a powder form to add it to the jewelry stones for their pieces. This process is crucial so the milk will not mold later on in the resin. After the stone or stones are cured, I set them in the jewelry setting and they are ready to go.
Q: How long did it take you to become proficient in making these products?
A: I would say a couple months for sure, just to practice. It’s trial and error. Every time I made something new, like a new piece of clothing or a new style, I would make my daughter a couple pieces first to kind of get it down, and then it goes a lot smoother after I’ve made a few pieces and kind of got the hang of it. It’s kind of in trial and error with everything, but I would say it takes a few tries for each style that I've made.
Q: Has COVID-19 affected you business?
A: No, not really, just because I do work from home. I don't have a storefront or anything. I work from home and then have my website, so thankfully it hasn't hit our house. So, it has not actually personally affected my business at all. I do offer no-contact pickup, so if people want to pick up instead of pay for shipping, I have a bin for pickup so it's contact free just to limit any possible exposure.
