Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Staggs.
Hi Jill, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Terreuz is a mother-daughter company that originated 15 years ago. My mom was shopping with one of her eleven grandchildren and they met a woman with an unusual bracelet made from leather and metal. My mom thought we could design jewelry also. She discussed the idea with me and we ordered supplies. We made bracelets for family members and they seemed pleased so we followed up by participating in an art show at my mom’s community in Hocking Hills. Our next show was at the old Hocking Hills Lodge and that went well also. We continued to get accepted to more and bigger shows and began selling in shops as well. We had not planned on starting this venture, but we had both just left our full time jobs. My mom retired from medical sales and I left my job teaching special education to stay home with my first child . We embraced the opportunities as they unfolded and our company grew more each year. We had always enjoyed doing artistic projects so it was very exciting to have our hobby become profitable.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are a few big challenges that come to mind in our journey. First of all, we had to invest in supplies to get started which was a financial risk, not knowing if our jewelry would sell. In addition, it isn’t guaranteed that you can get into the shows or that your product will sell . There are also variables like bad weather that can ruin profits. We had to learn business skills such as tracking inventory , taking credit card sales, taxes and starting an LLC because we were growing quickly. Our biggest obstacle to date was Covid. It shut down all of our shows for a year and limited our retail. Many of the shows haven’t fully recovered because of lower attendance. We find it helpful to add a few new shows each year to reach different people who haven’t seen our products and also to bring fresh designs.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We have always been interested in art and have taken classes over the years in different mediums including drawing, pottery, quilting, jewelry and black smithing. My mom and I each create our own designs, make the jewelry at our own homes and collaborate on the final product before selling. Over the years we have expanded our products to include hand stitched leather handbags, dog collars, key chains, journal covers and vases. Our mission is to provide quality products that our customers will love at an affordable price.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
We have learned over the years that it is beneficial not to do the same shows year after year. Adding a few new ones is helpful to meet new customers. During shows we find it helpful to keep a list of what designs we are getting low on. We enjoy talking to customers and they will often make recommendations on new shows they think we would be a good fit for us.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Terreuz.jewelry
- Facebook: TerreuZ
