Our first ever TCK Feature!
I’m so excited to be doing a giveaway with The Lovely Felt Shop and as we’ve been emailing back and forth, I’ve found her story really inspiring and wanted to share more about her with all of you. ThesI was talking to its talented owner Tatiana, I had the idea to share more about her with all of you. So here’s a little interview we did!
Where are you from?
I was born in Ecuador, South America. I lived in New Jersey when I was a kid, then went back to Ecuador, and then came back to the States! I am currently living in Miami, Florida.
I’d love to know a little about your family.
My family is the most important and dearest part of my life. I am married and we have a 16 year old daughter and two yorkies, Jade and Rocky. They are the most spoiled and loved little fury babies in the world. I am a pet lover- I have had something like 20 dogs in all my years! I love cats too but I am terribly allergic to them…but that has not stopped me from having a couple.
What did you do before Lovely Felt?
I have a degree in Business Admisitration and International Trade. I worked in corporate for more than 10 years and it was fun and I learned a lot but I have always wanted to pursue a career in design. But I was not good at all in art at school so I made myself believe that if I was not a good drawer or painter that it was impossible to pursue that passion. I was so wrong!! I am mostly self taught. But I have studied jewelry and millinery and I love creating hair pieces– the more complicated the better!
So how did Lovely Felt get started?
In 1999, while living in Ecuador, I had the amazing opportunity to distribute Swarvoski Crystals to designers back there. One day I thought that I might as well start creating some designs of my own. That is when my first business started. I learned jewelry design and metal smithing. It was amazing, I had two small stores in local malls. I learned so much with this experience. By that time I had my daughter. In 2007, I divorced my daughter’s dad and I had to shut down my two shops. It was a painful experience but I am certain that everything happens for a reason. Then as my daughter got older, I struggled finding nice hair accessories so I decided to create some of my own. And believe me, she was the most well styled little girl! I would do different style braids in her hair and accessorize with the best hair piece. I started receiving orders from local stores. Then I met my second husband, which made us move to Miami. I already knew about Etsy and one day I just decided to give it a shot!
So you said you weren’t great at art in school– how did you learn to make these pieces?
I have studied jewelry and millinery through courses taught by master milliners and also online. Thanks to technology, I am able to learn from master milliners that are located in England and in Australia!
What’s the inspiration behind the name?
This is quite funny… I loooooooove British movies… and I love how they say: Hello darling, Hello lovely, What do you fancy, etc. And since I worked with felt… Lovely Felt was born!
What inspires you?
My daughter is my inspiration…. always! Nature, too– you can find all the beauty you need. And I love fashion shows. My favorite is looking at all the Chanel videos of how they create their couture collections… love!
Do you have any advice for other small business owners?
My best advice is start wherever you are! There is no need to know everything right at the beginning. Just start and do it! You will learn through the process!
And finally, what do you wish you knew when you started out?
I wish that my art teacher would have told me that we each have creativity and knowledge within ourselves and we just have to figure it out how to channel it!
It’s been a really great experience learning more about Tatiana and all the work and love that has gone into this shop I’ve loved for the past year. If you have a brand or shop you would like to be featured, just message me! I can’t wait to hear from you!
And if you haven’t already, make sure you check out my last post to find out how to enter the giveaway!
xo
eb