Category: Featured Businesses

I had the pleasure of interviewing Katie of Katie Bird Jewelry. Katie’s jewelry can be found at many markets around the community, including Ocean Grove. She designs and makes it all herself and is a great advocate for shopping small.

Coastal NJ Small Business: How did you get into jewelry?

Katie: I don’t really remember a time when there wasn’t a craft project around my house.  My mom sews, and her parents did folk art and sold their stuff at craft shows back in the day.  When I was little, I remember going to craft stores and whether it was embroidery string to make friendship bracelets or little kits to make something else, like Christmas ornaments, I always looked and wanted and begged.  By the time I was in middle school, I found dedicated bead stores and saved any money I had to go on bead sprees.  While you can find material and sewing machines, yarn for knitting, paper, and rubber stamps for card making, or paint and any other craft supply at my family house, I always drifted to the jewelry.  Largely self-taught, I did find a metal class to take so that I could learn to solder, cast, and other techniques that are not as easy to do in a living room.  While I did sell a little bit of my jewelry back in the day, it was really after college and the metal class that the jewelry “business” took off.  With the new found time and the new techniques I was learning in class, I was able to produce more stock and work on new pieces I had not been able to make in the past.  I set up the business in 2010.  Since then, I have dabbled in new techniques and selling my jewelry at home parties and craft shows and markets.

And how do you keep your jewelry green?

You don’t have to go crazy to go green.  Whether you are using recycled products or repurposing stuff.  Jewelry is great, (because) you can start with fresh materials or take pieces/stones/beads from old, vintage, broken, unfinished pieces.  Friends are always dropping off old jewelry that they think I can use pieces of.  When using sterling silver, I always save the scraps for casting projects.  All of a sudden you have a dish of scraps from wire wraps or cuttings from sheet that is more than enough to make a cast project.

One of the companies I buy from also offers a scrap buyback program where you can send metal scraps for credit towards your next purchase.  I largely use sterling silver, and silver is a finite resource, so you have to think about that.  Silver scraps can be melted and reformed.

There are great recycled paper products out there for business cards, signage, invoices or whatever. When I receive packages, I always save the boxes and packaging to reuse when i have shipments.  For my workspace, whether it is being frugal or green, I have always repurposed items or taken second hand furniture to work on. When considering tools and supplies look for the energy efficient one, get the energy efficient light bulbs.

What is your philosophy on being a successful member of the coastal community?

Everyone out there in this small business community is doing something that they love and believe in, so much so that they have invested a lot of time and money to bring it to the public.  While there is bound to be some overlap of products, everyone has their own spin and vision for their work.  we need to respect one another and encourage each other.  Just as I was raised in a crafty house, I remember always going to craft shows as I grew up.

Shopping at your local main street stores is great too.  Supporting artists, craftsmen, artisans, jewelers…is great, not only because you are supporting small and typically local businesses, but because you can find great things that you wouldn’t in bigger stores.

 

You are a huge advocate for shopping small. Care to talk more about that?

Small business Saturday is the Saturday after thanksgiving, the day after Black Friday.

Why do we need to set aside one day to recognize small businesses?  There is something great about shopping at your local stores.  Getting to know the owners, the more intimate feel of the store.  Go to the small surf shop to buy your boardshorts. Buy a handmade item that shows craftsmanship and pride and is unique from what everyone else might have.  Get what you want, support local business, and often small businesses run sales for regulars or when they need to move merchandise for new seasons.  Shop small to support your neighbors.

What have you learned through your business?

You have to get out there for people to see your work…You have to be your biggest promoter. Not everyone understands the work you put into handmade jewelry, and how that can translate to quality and price. Be proud of what you have made, not everyone wants what you are offering, and that’s fine. Your product isn’t for everyone and you can’t change your vision for them.

How do you connect to your customers and coastal community?

Having lived on the coast my whole life, some of my designs tend to lean to nautical and coastal: waves, shells, blues and greens, anchors and knots.  I have a new project in the works that involves incorporating recycled layered surfboard resin into some designs, which works here and isn’t something I would do if I lived in the middle of the country.  You have to know where you are selling.  When I’m set up at a craft market, you need to read to customers.  Can you convert that browser to a buyer.  Does this customer want to hear more about the piece and how it was made?  Since I handmade things it is great to be able to offer custom pieces so that people have a sense of ownership in the design.  And I love seeing repeat customers or shoppers that stop by and recognize me and say that they love previous purchases or always get compliments.

 

That is so wonderful, Katie. Thank you!

 

Be sure to check out Katie’s jewelry at a market near you!

 

 

Here is a new video featuring some footage and audio from some features of the past few months.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Brittany from Dean’s Market in Ocean and touring this amazing shop! Dean’s is about as organic and green as a shop gets.

Listen to my conversation below and check out the photos from this exciting visit.

Dean’s has aisles of foods that are eco-friendly and healthy!

Many of their products come from people in the local communities and farms.

Even their beauty products and supplements are organic.

Dean’s was founded on an idea that Dean had when he started his family-oriented business.

Dean’s produce is ALWAYS guaranteed organic.

Visit Dean’s. They have four locations, but I visited this one in Ocean. You can visit them too at: 1119 Highway 35!

I had the privilege of interviewing Holly of Holly Jolly Jams. Listen to our exciting interview here.

Holly is a great example for all entrepreneurs looking to do what they love while staying green and making people happy.

“Holly Jolly Jams are homemade in small batches with a low-sugar recipe, using only the freshest ingredients, hand-picked or locally purchased when available.”

Holly goes to Farmer’s Markets every week. Keep up on her social media with Holly Jolly Jams on Facebook  and Instagram.

Red Bank, NJ

Yestercades is an incredible arcade in Red Bank for people of all ages. It is great for the community and environment in how all the games are recycled. Yestercades makes many games from the 80s playable and even has space to play newer games like Xbox and PlayStation. In that way, it is the perfect embodiment of a place that is both wonderful for the community and for the environment.

I had the pleasure of speaking with the owner of Yestercades, Ken. He gave some exclusive insight into his business just for us here at Coastal NJ Small Business.

The Beginning

Ken grew up in a small family pharmacy. While his original career was a job in sales, he started Yestercades in 2008 when the nation was facing tough financial times. He wanted to provide affordable family entertainment to allow people of all ages to escape to a time when they were carefree.

On The Games

Ken tries to keep his machines as original as possible so that they have the same feel playing them in 2016 as they did in 1983. In that way, these machines work to transport players to a simpler time. Young people can see what it was like to be a kid in the 80s while those who grew up in the 80s can remember those days.

Ken said, “I’m in my 30s, and if I zone out to play Donkey Kong for an hour I forget the stress and responsibilities of bills, staffing…all those adult responsibilities. I’m taken back to carefree time when my biggest worry was if I had a zit.”

This is also important for the environment. When a machine is reconditioned, that is less waste and a great way to recycle.

The Challenge of these Machines

Maintaining these machines so that they run the way they used to presents a challenge for Ken, though, because there is no arcade store.

“It’s not like ‘I need a box of nails, let me go to Lowes” Ken explained. For that reason, he has to special order everything and hope that someone makes it a hobby. Ken said, “We do our best to keep everything as original as possible.”

Again, this is a great example of Yestercades’ recycling. Many of these parts are original and would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Connecting the Generations

Upon visiting Yestercades, you will see children, adults, and college students all playing. Children like it for the games. There is everything from Pacman to air hockey there for them. Adults enjoy it for the nostalgia. All the games from the 80s remind them of their great times playing them. Teens and twenty-somethings enjoy it for the ‘cool atmosphere’ and fun games, of course. Everyone loves the games.

“It’s very cross generational. You’ll see a dad and son playing Simpsons or Track & Field and then playing Xbox together on couch, when normally, the dad would have never played Xbox,” Ken said.

The Future of Yestercades

Ken has opened new location in Somerville, after being in Red Bank for five years. He said that he has seen how businesses evolve, even since he first opened. He does his best to keep prices the same as when he opened to provide the same inexpensive family fun atmosphere that he started Yestercades for.

Ken’s Message for Small Businesses

Ken tells all his employees, “It doesn’t matter if there are two people or 100 in the arcade. You have to pay the same attention to everyone.”  That is why we love small businesses: you get the care and service that you couldn’t get anywhere else, and you make real community connections.

Visit Yestercades!

When you drive by Revere Picture Framing on Route 35, the first thing you will notice are some nice big “Shop Small” letters on the side of the shop. It is this attention to shopping small that attracted me to this shop.

I interviewed George, owner of Revere Picture Framing about his store and shopping small. I learned that George has a wonderful personality that keeps his customers coming back and helps to encourage the shopping small community mindset.

 The Beginning of Revere Picture Framing

George has been in business for eleven years. During this time, he has had three locations, including one on Main Street in the Atlantic Highlands.

The shop came from George’s background in graphic design. He had great jobs and even worked for city ad agencies in Los Vegas. When he saw too many people getting fired, he decided to start his own business to take control of his own situation. However, he started his business right when the recession hit. He says he struggled but survived and is proud to say that last year was his best in business.

Around the Corner

George lives right around the corner from his store. He likes mom & pop shops in the community.

“Quaint little shops and service make neighborhood special,” George said. That is why he is sure he gives individualized attention to each customer. He says the word ‘no’ doesn’t exist in his shop. Even if he can’t help, he will find someone who can. That is what makes his, and most mom & pop shops special.

“It’s important to support community, because you spend money with me, and I support other programs in the community.”

While small businesses are environmentally friendly in themselves through their promotion of local production and less carbon emissions from local travel, George does extra for the community. He throws away very little.

Scraps of map board and leftovers from main projects get turned into gifts and giveaways at trade/craft shows as promotions. He uses these instead of business cards. As a plus, people remember his business. Instead of material that would end up in landfills, they are repurposed and enjoyed.

Longbranch, NJ 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Christine, owner of Back on the Racks.

Morissa: Tell me about your career path and what led you to become a small business owner in the coastal community.

Christine: I grew up at the Jersey Shore, my family moved from Brooklyn to New Jersey when I was in the 2^nd grade.   When I was a kid my mother would take us to this consignment store in Fair Haven called The Attic. It was a fun experience to sort through the racks of one of a kind items, things you couldn’t find at the mall. It just always stuck in my head, that I’d love to one day own a consignment store.  Once I began working I started out in retail but have done many different jobs.

It was my last couple of jobs that pushed me to pursue my dream. I experienced working for a company that went out of business. It felt awful to not have any control over what happened. I was approaching my 50’s and felt like if I didn’t pursue my dream now it would never happen. So, I decided that I’d roll the dice and take a chance to become a business owner by opening my own consignment store.

Naturally, I drove around Monmouth County to find the perfect location to open my consignment store. That’s when I saw the sign on the door of my first store in West End. I’m still in this plaza today, but, now have 3 stores in the same plaza. I never thought it would grow to where it is today. Expanding from just women’s to now offering Furniture, Home décor and Children’s. One of my favorite bosses told me what he thought was the secret to a successful business, “hard work, timing and luck”, so true!

Your business is very eco-friendly by recycling clothes and furniture and repurposing them.  What can other members of the community do to ‘stay green’?

One person’s trash is definitely, another person’s treasure. At Back on the Racks we enjoy educating our customer’s on how they can consign items they no longer want or need and make some money too. I would encourage everyone to think before you throw away a shirt that they no longer like or put some furniture out to the curb. Someone else may want to wear or use it.

What is your personal philosophy on being a successful small business owner?

I think as a small business owner you need to keep your eye on everything in the business, but also be able to let go some of the control so that you aren’t working in the business but working on the business.

 Why should Monmouth University students and other young people especially ‘shop small?’

Small businesses directly impact the community, because we purchase from other small local businesses for lunch, insurance, printing, cleaning, repairs, and the list goes on and on. I don’t think that big companies like Walmart are having their printing done at a local Mom and Pop company.

Who has inspired/inspires you?

I try to surround myself with people that inspire me daily. But, I’d say the person that gave me the courage to pursue my dreams would be my father. My Dad never told me I couldn’t do it, he always would be tell me just do it and he’d even help me do it!

Have you learned any important lessons from your experiences as a small business owner?

I’ve learned so many lessons as a small business owner. I’d say the most important one is to not let a bad situation define your future. Learn from it and move on. Also, try not take yourself too seriously, you have to be able to laugh at yourself.

How do you best connect to your customers and the coastal community?

Social media has been a great way for us to effectively engage with our customers. It’s so important as a business owner to keep up with the way your customers are getting their information.

Visit Back on the Racks’ Facebook and website.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

To anyone considering starting a business today I’d suggest you stalk the business you want to start and try to do a better job at it. Because as they say, ‘if you are doing something that you enjoy, you never work a day in your life.’  But I’ve also been told that I mess up every quote, so don’t quote me on this one.