MEET THE PRODUCER :
SEA GLASS BY ARCHIE
Sea glass greeting cards for all occasions
STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AND MONEY WORRIES IN 2018 WHEN FIRST MOVING TO KENT , ARCHIE FOUND THAT LONG BEACH WALKS IN MARGATE WITH LABRADOR BOLT REALLY LIFTED HER SPIRITS . WHILST ON THESE WALKS SHE STARTED PICKING UP SEA GLASS AND POTTERY , LITTLE PIECES OF TREASURE THAT WERE OVER 100 YEARS OLD AND FREE . HANDMADE CARDS WITH SEA GLASS FOR FAMILY MEMBERS QUICKLY TURNED INTO A SMALL-SCALE TRADE TO FRIENDS , AND IN DECEMBER 2018 ARCHIE ATTENDED HER FIRST CRAFT SHOW IN MARGATE – AND BANKED HER FIRST WHOLESALE ORDER BY BROADSTAIRS FRAME SHOP . TWO YEARS ON , ARCHIE HAS SOLD OVER 11,000 CARDS AND STOCK TO 20 SHOPS IN KENT . LAST CHRISTMAS ALONE , ARCHIE SOLD OVER 3,000 CHRISTMAS CARDS – OF WHICH 95 % WERE FROM LOCAL KENT BUYERS .
Difficult to look ahead whilst in the middle of a lockdown , although perhaps it also gives you time to reflect – what are your plans for 2021 ?
It is incredibly testing during lockdown for any business to plan ahead , but as a small business I have managed to pivot towards selling online . I roped in my teenage son to build a website for me and now I am selling on ETSY , Amazon Handmade , Ebay , and I am dipping my toe into running Instagram advertising programs . I have also started to sell some of the surplus sea glass that I have collected over the last two years . My buyers are mainly jewellery makers across the UK but I have recently seen a huge demand in purchases from the US . I am now scaling up to supply large online retailers such as charities and florists whose businesses are flourishing with the shift to online shopping . I usually do 30-40 craft shows a year , mainly in Kent and I am hoping they will return in 2021 . I am staying positive !
What is the best thing to have come out of 2020 for you ?
Definitely setting up my website . By adding my website address onto the back of my cards I have seen a snowball effect from repeat orders , not only from customers but from those who were sent my cards . Like the man from Boston , US who received one of my cards . He runs a very successful interior design company and will now stock my cards in the US !
How much time goes into making your cards – talk us through the process ….
Now , this is where I need to give credit to Bolt . Being a typical Labrador , he loves swimming , so we head down to a secret beach in Kent where he can swim and I can find treasure . I have dreadful eyesight , so I literally lie on the beach with my reading glasses on , only picking up pieces that are flat , and have the right thickness and shape – which takes hours ! In winter , I have hand warmers and a flask to keep me warm . Back in my house boat , I wash the glass , place it on a flat table and select those pieces thin enough to fit a standard first-class letter . I print the cards and use super glue , and various permanent black pens for the eyes , feet , beaks and curly tails – always with ongoing support and a waggy tail from Bolt .
Why do you think your cards are so popular ?
I think people just love sea glass , the fact it may be over a hundred years old and has energy and magic from having been tumbled over for decades . All my designs are either birds , fish or bees . My cards are described as " simple and cute " and I seem to have quite a big following which is very humbling !
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