Steadfast Supply - New Stocklist in DC

As ya'll may know or not know I have so much love for Washington DC.  I worked in the DC advocacy field before I became a jeweler and it's also where I consider home as it's where I spent most of my high school years - mainly in the suburbs of DC. 

I love the industrial look of Steadfast Supply.

DC is one of those cities that you can never get enough of - there is so much ART, history, culture and love for diversity.  I really, really miss all of that and so I am incredibly happy to say that Eilisain is back in it's home city and at Steadfast Supply, a super cool and edgy new boutique that supports the handmade culture as well as providing fun workshops for others to get in on the handmade fun.  

And it's no surprise to me that Steadfast began as a concept by Virginia Arrisuenos of DeNada Design.  She's been part of the DC art and community scene for a long time and has been a champion for emerging designers and artists.  And t hat's the main focus of Steadfast to introduce small handmade business to the public, connect designers with curators and the community at large serving as an incubator. 

The Steadfast Supply crew.   That's Virginia, fourth from the left next to her husband (a mural artist).

In this age of mass production, it is SO refreshing to find places like Steadfast that work very hard to support entrepreneurs and business' that are creating products that are locally and ethically sourced.  We need more of that in our world.  So I hope that if you're in the DC area to visit Steadfast Supply - and bonus you'll love their location - in the heart of the Yards "The neighborhood is home to some of DC’s most innovative luxury residences, specialty retailers, and restaurants. The Yards features an award winning park, providing".

As always thank you for poppin' by the ole blog and stay tuned for more!

Ritual, Ritual - Boutique Feature

One of the best parts of being a small business owner is meeting all the other amazing makers and bossbabes of the world.  And I've met so much fierce owners out there that I have to highlight them - because without brick and mortar shops it'd be much harder for someone like me to get my jewelry out in the world.

Such a welcoming entrance to RR!

So without much ado I want to highlight one of my favorite boutiques on the East Coast - RITUAL, RITUAL.  First off, I LOVE the name of their boutique because wearing jewelry is a ritual in and of itself and secondly it's in one of my favorite east coast cities - Philadelphia.  Angela Monaco, an amazing jeweler herself of Concrete Polish, initially opened RR for her jewelry but soon decided to rebrand the shop as a collective representing over 60 independent designers.   The shop also provides studio space for rent and a reiki and message therapy space.  One of these days I've got to visit this amazing shop because they are rare gems (pun intended)

After realizing she didn't enjoy school or her part-time jobs that she claims she wasn't too good at, Angela Monaco decided to work for herself and do something she loves. The 30-year-old business owner started her own retail line, Concrete Polish, which she eventually turned into Ritual Ritual after combining with other designers. As we set up the camera to start filming, she said "Guys I don't know if I can do this, I've been speaking in my business class all morning and am kind of nervous." Her fellow designer reassured her that everything was going to be fine. As Angela fixed her bangs and whistled over to her dog, Franklin, to come sit with her, we hit the record button on the video camera, "okay I'm ready now ladies," said Angela.

I'm especially excited to share RR with you because they are celebrating their third year anniversary this weekend! You can check out all their fun events on their own blog.

I hope that if you live or are visiting Philly you take the time to visit and shop at Ritual Ritual, not only will you love all of their amazing jewelry, gems, clothing and objects you will be supporting a local small business that helps other artists and makers thrive.

Thanks as always for dropping by and reading!