Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Robinson.
Hi Taylor, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was younger, I had a hotel birthday party with some of my friends. I had to be around seven years old at the time. My mom bought arts and crafts to keep us occupied in the room. One of those crafts was a friendship bracelet kit. I had never made a bracelet before then, but after I was hooked.
I thoroughly enjoyed making my friends bracelets and personal ones as well. After I expressed my interest, my aunt bought me another bracelet kit and my mom gave me her old jewelry to restring. I really took this hobby and ran with it. It became a passion and a stress reliever.
I began selling my creations in another aunt of mine’s beauty salon. My creations were up-cycled jewelry pieces from my mom’s collection. The ladies in the salon loved my pieces and my entrepreneurship mentality. My aunt asked me if I had a business name but I had not even considered one.
She suggested “Taylor’s Originals” and the name never left. I never changed it since it perfectly describes my jewelry. Most of the jewelry I craft is 1 of 1 creation meaning no customer of mine will have the exact item. It gives my “Original Babes” a sense of exclusivity and uniqueness every time they wear my jewelry.
As I got older, I began taking my business more seriously. I started selling my jewelry out of my backpack at school then eventually began registering for vendor events, created social media platforms, and developed a website. I really gained popularity by making custom “arm candy” sets for my friends which were just beaded bracelet sets full of charms. My business really gained traction during the pandemic. During quarantine, I really focused on building my website, looked for supply vendors, and was consistently active on my Instagram page (@taylorsoriginals).
I really owe my success to God and my family, especially my mom and aunt who planted this seed in me. I appreciate my family and friends for nurturing that seed on top of my personal efforts. My family and friends constantly supported and encouraged my business when I felt like dropping my passion.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road definitely has not been the smoothest but I am grateful for the obstacles. In the beginning, when I started to take my business seriously, I had trouble with supply costs.
At the time, I purchased beads from my local Michaels and Hobby Lobby, but I realized I needed to purchase my supplies in bulk. I had a hard time finding a bead and charm vendor. I did not know anybody in the jewelry-making niche so I turned to message small businesses on Instagram. Eventually, I purchased a vendors list and was able to utilize a few resources from it.
I faced the struggle of opening my online store. When I participated in vendor fairs and pop-ups customers would always ask me, “Do you have a website?” and I did not have one to mention. It honestly took me four years to get my online store up and running. I tried so many different website hosts including Wix, GoDaddy, and SquareSpace.
Some of them had pricey subscriptions which I could not afford at the time since I was only making jewelry part-time when I was not occupied with academics/extracurriculars. I finally settled on Shopify after playing around with it for about two months during quarantine after watching a YouTuber’s video recommending it for eCommerce.
A current challenge I am facing right now is keeping up with the demands of my growing business while being a freshman in college at a rigorous university. My business TikTok page (@taylorsoriginals) gained a lot of followers over winter break and ever since people have been begging for consistent restocks which is not feasible for me right now due to my academic priorities.
I am trying to find a quality manufacturer to help me mass produce products and also a reliable social media manager. I have had to temporarily close my shop once already, and now a second time due to prioritizing my academics over the demands of my business. Hopefully, sooner than later, I will overcome this challenge!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Taylor’s Originals LLC specializes in quality handmade jewelry with originality at the forefront. We are known for our dramatic and eye-catching beaded sets (A.K.A. “arm candy”) and charm bangles.
All of our pieces are carefully and thoughtfully designed. Taylor’s Originals LLC also includes stainless steel and gold plated necklaces, single-strand beaded bracelets, chain bracelets, and croc charms. We even take a limited number of custom orders at a given time.
I am proud of my brand’s consistent growth, persistence, and perseverance. Taylor’s Originals LLC has gone through lots of rebrands and will continue to evolve for the better. My brand steadily grows despite me being a one-woman business and full-time college student because I am transparent with my supporters.
They respect my authenticity and great customer service.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory was when my parents would take my brother and me to the Nascar Speed Park in the old St. Louis Mills Mall whenever we got done with our homework early.
Another would have to be when my parents would randomly wake my brother and me up in the morning and tell us we were going to Six Flags.
Contact Info:
- Email: taylorsoriginalsjewelry@gmail.com
- Website: taylorsoriginals.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorsoriginals/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/taylororiginals
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCscvCYFEozqdPTHakObOPEQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@taylorsoriginals
Image Credits
@jrobprod_2.0
