And so it begin around 2005 when I had an epiphany that I could use what I had! While I birthed concepts for my business in the year 2000, it was a few years later when I hosted an official grand opening for Raghouse International on Valentine's Day in my childhood home living room. I worked hard to create a boutique aesthetic, sent our invitations, and was surprised to see people show up with a serious intent to shop, eat, drink, and be merry. Raghouse International open houses continued for about ten years. I help raffles, provided amazing food, and live entertainment.
Some of my very first designs included painting on cotton canvas handbags. I was studying Japanese at the time, learning how to write Kanji, and wanted to include the characters on almost everything I painted. These two handbags were included in the inventory at the first Raghouse International grand opening. For a while I embellished blazers for men and women among many other products.
The crocheted shoe strings were some of my favorite. I think I may bring them back!
Like most craft businesses in its early stages I took every opportunity to sell at fairs, farmer's markets, and local community and church events.
In December of 2007 I opened my doors to the online community on Etsy.com. It was the start of an extensive learning experience for me as well as growth in sales and friendships all over the world. Becoming globally connected has it's positives and negatives but as long as you keep going and learning you will eventually find what works best for your business.
Within seconds of setting up my Paypal account a sell came through. I sold my first wooden bracelet from this collection and was very excited about starting my journey on Etsy.
My first year selling my designs on Esty.com resulted in 30+ blog features and interviews, all by surprise and experiences I truly learned from. This collage just shows a few.
Before The Body Knit dress and top and Chained Elements designs came along, my number one seller was the crochet hat.
Influenced by my upbringing in high fashion I started directing fashion campaigns to showcase the story and mood behind my designs.
Once the Body Knit Dress and Top design was completed and added to inventory my Etsy shop really took off.
Accessories have always been a part of my inventory. In the early years I made all of the jewelry by hand but it became a lot designing jewelry and knitwear. Today I make some jewelry while purchasing the rest of my accessories collection from a supplier in Utah.
In 2011 Raghouse International moved to Downtown Los Angeles into a new design studio that allowed us to thrive and further our success. The Los Angeles Art Walk, music and art scene, and meeting other artists provided new opportunities and creative stimulation.
During this era a new design entitled Chained Elements was added to inventory and became my second best seller. Live crochet demonstrations which started at Gather DTLA became a great way for me to take away patterns and use materials not normally used with fiber to educate people on how to think out of the box when creating with yarn.
Live crochet demonstrations allowed me to began creating one of a kind exhibition pieces.
I joined the Collective at Icis during this era, a group of fashion designers with a pop-up shop in Glendale, California. This was a fun time.
