Today, we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Anderson.
Hi Jessica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am originally from Savannah, GA. I started making jewelry at 16, making macrame hemp necklaces and bracelets and selling them at my high school. In college, I majored in visual art. I took metalsmithing classes and started working for a local bead store as a traveling salesperson, where I set up and sold at large bead and gem shows throughout the southeast.
In 2010, I had just graduated college and was working as a server and a pizza delivery driver, making jewelry for two designers and the bead store. My grandmother, who was a major influence in my education and upbringing, had recently passed away, and my grandfather passed shortly after her. Just before he passed away, I asked him if he needed anything, and he replied, “The only thing I need you to do is to get to school on time and make your grandmama proud.” I realized then that she wouldn’t want me working all these jobs just to make ends meet and would want me to follow my dreams.
I also realized that if I put the same amount of energy that I was putting into making money for everyone else towards my work and business, I would no doubt succeed. Hence, Epiphany was born. In 2012, I had the opportunity to purchase the bead store that I had worked in since I was 19 and renamed it Epiphany Bead and Jewelry Studio. We held regular classes and served the beading & jewelry-making community for over eight years. Sadly, we closed the doors to the bead shop in 2020 due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.
But when one door closes, a new one always opens, and the closing of the store allowed me to focus more on my jewelry line. Throughout that time I also taught metalsmithing classes at S.P.A.C.E. (Savannah’s Place for Arts Culture and Education) where I met Clair Buckner. When Clair opened her own ceramics studio, Clayer & Co., in Thunderbolt, she quickly invited me to teach metalsmithing classes in her new studio. In her recent expansion, we have set up a permanent metalsmithing studio where I teach regularly. In 2018, my life also changed in a major way. I became a mom.
The closing of the store gave me much more freedom in my schedule for time with my daughter, Eilan. Today, I currently sell my jewelry in 4 stores, participate regularly in art festivals, markets, and pop-ups, as well as teach metalsmithing and jewelry-making classes. I also work part-time in one of the most successful stores I sell in, Rachel Vogel Designs, on Tybee Island. I recently got back from a five day jewelry-making retreat in Florida that I have been teaching at since 2017. All while juggling being a single mom and my most important job and role!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. I grew up in what most people would consider poverty. To get to where I am today has been a struggle, to say the least. With owning your own business, there are always ups and downs.
In 2016, I was fortunate enough to travel to Eastern Europe to visit a friend in her home country. In 2018 I had my daughter and my life changed in a major way. I didn’t realize how demanding being a new mom would be. I was taking my daughter to work with me at the shop nearly every day, which made it challenging to keep up with the day-to-day tasks at the shop. Coupled with the rise of online shopping, my numbers definitely took a turn. Then Covid hit. Closing the bead store that I had built and fostered for the eight years of owning it was a hard decision with a lot of mixed emotions behind it. The connections and friendships that I made during that time will always be with me.
I felt like I was letting the beading community down in a way, as many bead stores in neighboring cities and across the country were closing as well, and we were the only bead store left in Savannah. A lot of my pride and identity had also become tied to my store, as it had been my life for so long. But my life as a mom was more important than that, and it gave me an opportunity and the flexibility to do what I love most, which is creating my own jewelry.
I am grateful today that I am able to support myself and my daughter from my business and that I have the opportunity to work at a place that encourages me to create while I’m working!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think, at this point, what I am most known for are my beaded fringe earrings, which I started making during the COVID lockdown. Prior to that, I had mostly strayed away from working with seed beads as I needed to make things quickly and easily to sell at markets and shops.
The lockdown freed up a lot of my time, and I began to create for the joy of creating. With no upcoming markets and stores being closed, I didn’t worry about a time crunch of having to crank out products, and I stayed home with my daughter and just made what I wanted to make. I absolutely loved and got so excited about making these earrings! I love coming up with color combinations and patterns.
To my knowledge, I am pretty much the only person making this style of earring in Savannah. They take a level of patience and time that many people just don’t have, frankly. It’s not something that you can just pump out, so I never have a huge stock of them as much as I try to. They sell as fast as I can make them.
Can you talk to us about happiness and what makes you happy?
Spending quality time with my daughter makes me the most happy.
When we don’t have anything to do or anywhere to be and can just enjoy playing together and having fun, I’m most happy and at peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: epiphany.indiemade.com
- Instagram: @epiphanybeads
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/EpiphanyBeadandJewelryStudio
Image Credits
Robin Maaya
