A big move, life changes, and new direction
I haven't written a blog in years so this feels foreign; but I guess it's time to rip off the proverbial bandaid.
The past couple of years have felt very different for me as I navigated some big life changes while trying to run a business. In March 2024 I moved my business from it's studio of 4 years in Siler City, NC where I had ample space and worked alone into a collective studio in Saxapahaw, NC where I had much less space and was almost never alone. That was an adjustment in and of itself. Then, in March 2025 I went through a breakup with a partner I had been with for 6.5 years. We lived together, raised my son together. 2025 was the hardest year of my life, harder than the other hard ones because this time I had my son to think of while navigating being a single mother. I worked 80+ hours week. Fell in love with my best friend. Grew immensely as an individual and a mother. It was so so hard while also so beautiful. I found my core group of friends who nourished my soul and took care of me during the darkest days. I got support for my son from doctors, friends, and his school. But in the midst of this new life as a single mother with half the income and a new place to live I also experienced the slowest year of sales in 14 years. With the economy, tariffs, rising food prices, and the rise in popularity of a particular leather bag company (I'm sure you can guess the brand) that stole many of my designs, used the same leather, and mass produced which kept their prices a fraction of mine I just couldn't keep it sustainable. My wholesale orders from Faire Wholesale were way down and when they came in I often couldn't afford the leather to fill the orders (I'm only paid upon fulfillment) which made orders really late and left me not just looking and feeling but actually being unprofessional. But I didn't know what else I could do.
Then, in March of this year I married the love of my life, my best friend, and a Marine. I spent the next few months planning for our future and the shift in my business as he finished some training. We spent 7 months apart aside from 10 days in March, and finally in June he was back in my arms. So, my son and I packed up my studio and our apartment and moved 3 hours away to a new home living with my husband. I set up my studio again but this time in my garage.
Over the last year, and mostly once I knew I'd be moving to a new home and town I did a lot of thinking. I realized I had lost the joy of leatherworking. It felt like a chore and a burden. I felt the burnout hard. And while with my new husband I don't have to hustle 80+ hours a week working 4 jobs as a single mom, I still need to bring in some form of income, if only for my own sense of autonomy. I decided I needed to cut away the things that burdened me the most and the first was to stop doing wholesale. As a microbusiness it's just not financially sustainable.
The numbers:
Wholesale is 50% of retail pricing
Faire Wholesale payment processing fee is 3.5% + $0.30
New customer fee is 15% + $10 (returning customers are just 15%)
This means that if one bag is $140 retail I was only making $37.65!
Thus, going forward I will no longer be selling wholesale, offering classes, or having a massive made to order catalog. I've set up a small catalog of the fan favorites available as PREORDER only. I'll also be doing limited edition bag drops which will be announced via Instagram and our newsletter. If I have a bag ready to ship from the Favorites collection I'll announce on Instagram stories as first come, first served.
Thank you for following along and I'm really excited about this new chapter in my life and this sweet business's life.
xx Julia