Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Swindell.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have never been afraid to try new things or challenge myself to learn how to do something that for many, may feel impossible. I have written and published a book, host a true crime podcast, and have started my own home staging business. But am most happy when I am creating either a beautiful spaces in homes or crafting. Which is how Petal Charmery came to life! Well sort of…I started making magnetic wine charms after I had fallen down some stairs at work, was home bound for a while, and bored out of my mind! I was cleaning out my craft closet and had all these little flowers and rhinestones from another project and an idea was born! As a person who loves to host gatherings of any kind, losing your glass at a party is never fun and thought having a bright, beautiful charm on the glass would not only prevent that, it would being life to any party! Having the ability to put initials on them makes them even more special and are my best sellers now. Especially for bridesmaids gifts, girl trips and bachelorette parties.
But what makes this new little business even more wonderful is that I no longer have to have a “real” job that takes me away from caring for my special needs son with my husband. One of us always needed to be home and this makes life so much easier than constantly tag teaming on who needs to be home instead of at work. A HUGE hidden blessing in not only loving what I do, but making home life and caring for our son so much more manageable.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Creating the actual product has been fun and easy! For me its navigating the online sales platforms that has been the most difficult as I am NOT computer savvy!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Being a certified home stager for over 20 years, I have an eye making things look and feel warm and inviting. I have always loved working with my hands, crafting and DYI projects. It has always felt like therapy to me in a way especially when dealing with stressful moments as a special needs mom when “escaping” for a few minutes is not always easy to do.
When I came up with my idea to make floral and rhinestone magnetic wine charms, it could not have come at a better time in my life. My husband took on a job that has him traveling a lot and was gone most of this past summer which meant I needed to be available more for our son. I was able to set up a spare bedroom as my studio and began creating also while being able to have a flexible schedule…a win/win!
While most of my sales come from my social media posts, I am most proud of getting my charms into a few stores. My biggest customer is a beautiful winery in Fredericksburg TX which they sell in their gift shop.
What sets me apart? I can pretty much create any themed wine charms that someone would like. My best seller so far is my Mah Jong charms which come in an 8 pack. I can’t play the game myself, but can make it more fun for the gals who are playing! Now I am working on holiday themed charms which I am loving.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Chat GPT has been a huge help! haha!
I have had to learn how to create captivating Reels for my instagram which makes me have a whole new respect for social media pros…its time consuming and hard work!
I think constantly staying on top of posting to my social media has been the most challenging. It has been helpful asking customers to post or send photos of them with their wine charms is a nice way to have new a fresh content.
Pricing:
- Priced at $25 for a pack of 6 wine charms is a great price point!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://petalcharmery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petalcharmery?utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590364901467
- Other: https://petalcharmery.etsy.com
