Q&A with Founder Francesca D'Elia

Q&A with Founder Francesca D'Elia

Interview conducted by Sadie Pratt

 

Question #1: How and when did Homegrown start? 

I started making jewelry when I was in middle school. It was completely random, I stayed for an after school art club and happened to pick up a pair of pliers and wire. During my sophomore year of high school, 2013, I attended my first craft show and officially started my business! I remember being so proud of having business cards, but also too nervous to hand them out. Homegrown is now in its 8th year and has come so unbelievably far!

 

Question #2: How long does it take for you to create your pieces?

It really depends on the piece! Smaller rings can be 5-10 minutes while larger pieces, especially with stones, can take hours and even days. Sometimes a piece will be more mentally than physically draining so I’ll take time away from it before coming back to finish the piece. There’s a certain “flow” that I get into in the studio and even bigger pieces will feel like they take 5 minutes! Those are the best studio days!  

 

Question #3: What makes you happiest about your company?

I love seeing and hearing about how women feel when they wear my jewelry. Knowing that I can play a small part in someone’s self confidence is the most rewarding feeling. I think we all deserve to feel our best on any occasion and personally fashion/accessorizing has brought me an outlet for exploring my own personal style. Creating and helping other women find jewelry that brings out their inner glow is really the “why” behind Homegrown.

 

Question #4: What is the most challenging and/or rewarding part of being an entrepreneur? 

At times entrepreneurship can be extremely lonely. When you’re the one person doing everything for an entire business with the added pressure of the brand “sinking or swimming” purely on you, it can be a lot! Connecting with customers at pop ups/shows is the best motivation and really eases that isolation. Being able to chat about my brand, see people wearing the jewelry, and supporting me and the business, it fills up my cup so I can push through any hard time. Social media is also great to feel more connected to my community.  As for the most rewarding aspect, ironically I love the feeling of creating something on my own. I’ve been able to create an entire business from the ground up, with lots of help from my support systems of friends and family. To see your own vision come to life, whether it's a business strategy or a jewelry design, there’s nothing more satisfying.

 

Question #5: Where do you want to see Homegrown in the future?

My ultimate goal is to reach and empower as many people as possible. I would love to be doing nationwide (maybe even international) pop up shows, styling celebrities with HGJ, and have a solid team of employees. A huge goal of mine is to create a joint retail and workshop space. The front would be a store and the back would be an area to host classes, create jewelry, and see the processes behind the pieces! I always daydream about what the space will look like, even down to the wall displays! Overall, I want Homegrown to be a household name. I want as many people as possible to be empowered af by the jewelry I make.




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