Womenpreneurs

I am on Twitter much, much too often, but it allows me to make contacts with great womenpreneurs literally across the globe. I had the distinct pleasure of making contact with a great womanpreneur in New Hampshire who has the tenacity and determination to create and crochet some of the most innovative, beautiful clothing that I’ve seen in a while.   I asked to “interview” her and she graciously agreed.

In her own words:

My name is Joede Brown and I am 36. I live in New Hampshire. I am the mother to a rambunctious 13 year old boy and a dancing/singing 2 year old daughter. Living in NH, I am 4 hours from NYC and Montreal. I am 27 minutes from the ocean and 10 minutes from skiing. As you can imagine, we do a lot of day and weekend trips. We hang out in Maine in the summer and Niagara Falls in the winter. We go to many amusement parks but haven’t made it to Hershey in PA (yet). We’re coming soon! I also like to read. I’m big into the classics, which I’ve now brought my son over to this side. His favorite book is “Catcher in the Rye.” He like “Native Son” and is now reading one of my favorites “1984″. My other favorite is “We the Living” by Ayn Rand. I love football - NFL and the Northeast Junior High League (guess who plays there?) I also like to visit museums and attend fairs, craft events and shop!

1. How did you get started with crocheting?

I started crocheting in 1982. We had just moved to England and visited Nottingham. If you know anything about Nottingham lace, then you see where my inspiration came from! My mom sat me down and taught me to knit and crochet. I made a knitted cabled sweater and mini skirt at 9 years old. I think my parents still have it somewhere. From there, I went to cross stitching, latch hooking and quilting. I quilted for a good 10 years before picking up the hook again.

2. What prompted you to begin selling your creations?

9/11. My father served in the military for over 25 years. I made him a flag throw to show my appreciation. My mom and dad fought over it so I made one for her too. My mom encouraged me to make them and sell, which I did at local craft events. I would sell out at every event. I had a chance to meet the soldiers who had the throws sent to them from their family here in the States. From that point, I diversified into other home decor items: more artistic throws, pillows and a few rugs. In 2003 I got bored and that’s when I decided to move into all clothing items. I have designed and made bikinis, dresses, coats, skirts, pants, shorts and of course, hats, mittens and scarves.

3. How long does it take for you to complete a project – for instance a hat/scarf set, a waist length sweater?

The hat and scarf sets take me about 10 hours to complete. This includes using a textured stitch and any fringe. Sometimes the fringe can take longer to create than the scarf itself!

My Iola sweater (a longer sweater coat) takes about 30 hours to create.

The babydoll top is about 9 hours work.

Mind you, these times do not reflect consultation, measurement, color analysis or shopping for the perfect yarn.

4. What are some ways that you promote your business?

I go from door to door to various boutiques in  Manchester and Boston to get my collection in the door. I was able to get into a boutique on famous Newbury Street and some other boutiques in New Hampshire.
I now utilize Twitter but not in an in-your-face way. I really like interacting with everyone socially on Twitter. If business comes up, that’s great but not mandatory.
I am trying to gain a blog following but I don’t post enough and am not a very good writer!
I am also a subscriber to some PR companies that look for items for gift bags such as coupons or samples.
I submit my line to various contests, projects and I contact various media outlets to get the Black Pearl Creations’ name recognized.

5. How do you showcase your creations?

I have been involved in a couple of fashion shows. They were fun and successful but extremely hard work. For one, I needed to complete a full length gown and had a very short deadline. I don’t feel comfortable rushing through my work so I have pushed fashion shows to the back for now. I am thinking of having a fashion show at my studio next year. I will keep you updated as the details progress in my head!

Currently, I have a video up on my website www.blackpearlstyle.com that showcases current and past designs. I am in the process of creating another video and I will let you know when that is available as well.

Need more information?  Want to make a purchase?  Contact Joede:

Black Pearl Creations….. Where Glamour Is A Way Of Life
Joede C. Brown
Designer
admin@blackpearlstyle.com
94 Wilson St Ste 3
Manchester, NH 03103
Studio Tel.: 603.540.7686