In-person connections are at the heart of our business. That’s right 75% of revenue derived not from the great promise of online, algorithms, influencers, and virality, but from a simple, millennia-old shopping experience happening in real time. We went on to open a brick & mortar store in 2011 from which we’d eventually see upwards of 75% of our revenue. Once Will, my husband and business partner, joined the business, we took multiple road trips across the country with our puppy, schlepping the jewelry in a bag, meeting with any small shop owner who would take an appointment with us. I delivered fliers to every small boutique in Portland inviting them to my grand opening party which took place in my 125 sq ft studio. In the beginning, stopping at nothing meant: saying yes to every single street fair, craft fair, church fair, convention, trade show, house show, mom show.
But I knew that when I decided to make a go of it as an entrepreneur, I would stop at nothing to make it roar and soar– at every stage of its life. I didn’t know much about business (how to start one, build one, or grow one.yep, ha!), or social media (Instagram didn’t even exist at the time), or blogs, or even making jewelry. In 2008 when I started Betsy & Iya, I knew, simply, that I needed to live an honest creative life, and that deeply connecting to others was important to me in every aspect of my life, including work. With each person we meet, we can learn to look behind the mask and see the one who longs to love and be loved.” Our relationships have the potential to be a sacred refuge, a place of healing and awakening. If we knew just how powerfully our thoughts, words, and actions affected the hearts of those around us, we'd reach out and join hands again and again. “Most of us need to be reminded that we are good, that we are lovable, that we belong. And we’ve just quit social media for good.
We are an ecommerce and retail business selling products that we make. We're excited to continue connecting with you. So, thank you for being a part of our passion and joy and allowing us to be a part of yours, wherever you spend your time. We think the world is a better place when this passion and joy is shared widely with others. The other independent artists and designers we carry put their hearts into their work. We design, make, and curate an incredible selection of Beautiful things made by people who care. We're going back on with some personal boundaries in place for us and our team and an intention to be a part of the good that comes from connecting with people. We've learned a lot and grown a lot since we stepped off social media in 2020. We're proud of the work we do and we want to share it with you where you are. Our little-email-list-that-could is working overtime to stand out in your inboxes, and despite beating 2019 revenue since leaving social, we're seeing fewer clicks to our website and faces in our store than we did in 2019. Quitting social media in 2020 did give us a lot of our time and focus back, but we may have been premature to say that connections didn't go away. Why the change? We want to connect with more of you where you are.
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