Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Pelletier.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sarah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
About 4 and a half years ago, I became a stay-at-home mom to a beautiful little girl. I really loved being home but wanted a creative outlet and to do some kind of work from home on my own terms and my on own schedule – so Birch Landing Home was born!
From the beginning, Birch Landing Home has been a two-part adventure. One side is my blog, where I write a little bit about everything from our day trips around New England, to DIY home and craft projects, budgeting, and lessons learned as a mom. The tagline for my blog is “New England Lifestyle, Motherhood, + DIY” and I think that sums it up pretty well. I also really love sharing products New England has to offer and enjoy featuring up-and-coming local makers on the blog whenever I can.
The other side is my Etsy shop where I’m best known for my hand-etched wooden ornaments that have been featured in Martha Stewart Living Magazine and New Hampshire Magazine. I started out just making snowflake designs but have branched out to include more designs as well as custom orders. This past spring, I was a contributor for a piece in Food Network Magazine where I designed an Easter egg to represent New Hampshire. My egg featured a gold top to represent our state capitol and hand-painted birch bark for our forests. I offered a limited run of these “New Hampshire Eggs” in my Etsy shop and will likely bring them back next spring. This year, I am also starting a line of New England-inspired painted signs for my shop as well. I’ve really enjoyed selling my products on Etsy as well as wholesale and am honored to have Birch Landing Home carried in beautiful shops across northern New England.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a slow road with a few bumps along the way. Being a stay-at-home mom is my first job and taking care of the kids comes first – I typically work on Birch Landing Home during nap times or in the evening when I have free time, but kids don’t always stick to schedules which can be frustrating.
There’s also a lot of ebbs and flow in blogging and in selling products. For me, I’ve noticed the blog seems to do best in the spring when people are charged up to do projects around the home or act on their New Year’s resolutions to make a budget, etc. and are searching for these topics. However, my Etsy and wholesale sales definitely do best in the fall and early winter when people and stores are getting ready for Christmas (though I’m hoping that by diversifying my offerings in my Etsy shop, I will get more consistent sales year-round).
For those just starting out, I would recommend planning for the ups and downs of business – anyone who’s self-employed will tell you that there are good months and slow months for work. Plan ahead for those times and don’t get discouraged if things seem to slow down but still see if there are ways to improve.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Birch Landing Home – what should we know?
The work I’m most known for is definitely my hand-etched birch ornaments – I really love their rustic, country quality and I think it represents New England so well. I’m also proud to be a woman that can use power tools! I cut, dry, wood burn, drill, and string each ornament myself. Even though the ornaments look fairly simple, there are quite a few steps to making them which most people don’t realize.
I think what sets me apart from others is collaboration. As a maker, I know how important it is to get your product out there and be seen. With my blog, I try to feature other local makers when I can to help promote them and their products. “Collaboration over competition” is paramount for us makers – we need to help each other succeed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.birchlandinghome.com
- Email: birchlandingcrafts@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birchlandinghome/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birchlandinghome/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BirchLandingHome
Image Credit:
Adrian Pelletier
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
