GET TO KNOW US HERE AT LOLLIESHOP...

Hello and welcome to our blog space!

This is our first ever blog post, and I thought what better way than to kick it off with a little get to know us article to help you and all of our lovely customers understand a bit more about the business and our goals.

I started my LollieShop journey July 2019. I would say the main inspiration for why I started making jewellery at the beginning was because my mum used to make unique (quite wacky) jewellery pieces that she would advertise and sell at local arts and crafts fairs, and it looked quite fun. So one day, I remember making a pair of very simple silver hoops with sea-horses on, I was chuffed that I had just made a pair of earrings so quickly that I could wear right away. I made a couple for my friends that day, and the thought just came to me that maybe I should open up an Etsy and sell them. I set up my Etsy shop on the 14th July and I had my first sale within a couple of hours. From there on, my sales snowballed quite well, which led to me hopping online and ordering more and more charms (this is still an addiction) as each sale I got gave me the motivation to continue what I was doing. At this time I was working my full time job, so every evening and all weekend I was researching, buying, making and selling jewellery, trying to do as much as I could to grow my shop. It was slow at the beginning but steady.

January 2020 was when it really took off for me, I decided to invest more money than ever into buying good quality supplies from all around the world. I was dubious to spend the money but it paid off. If you went back far enough on my Etsy and Instagram you would see there was a definite change of style with my jewellery. I now sell higher quality trendy pieces of jewellery, which began with my "Butterfly Collection" which is still my bestselling jewellery to this day.

Another little milestone in January for me was when my Instagram hit 1000 followers which then contributed to a good proportion of my sales at the time.

Fast forward a few months down the line and I feel proud of what I have accomplished with LollieShop.

LollieShop has gained a loyal base of customers that is ever-growing. I now have over 3,700 followers on Instagram which I'm super grateful for.

In April I also made big changes in my packaging. My parcels now come to you as (99%) plastic free, using mailer boxes, tissue paper and recyclable business cards etc.

Towards the end of April I also designed this website, which was a key step I felt that it was time to take. I still have my Etsy shop and I'm just as active there, but I realised I should probably have my own website that I could personalise and run along side it.

In May I was able to make the decision to leave my full time job, this was a huge deal for me, as I had always dreamt of becoming self-employed and "being my own boss". I now wake up every morning feeling lucky that this is my job, creating beautiful pieces of jewellery for my lovely customers. I'm living the dream that I dreamt up only 11 months ago and it feels amazing.

I still appreciate and get excited for an order now just as much as I did when I began as I genuinely have a passion for providing good quality fashionable jewellery for affordable prices.

I'm feeling more motivated than ever to carry on the success of my small business and who knows where I'll be this time next year.

Thank you if you have made it this far, and I hope that you now have a bit more insight into LollieShop and it's beginnings!

Lollie x