Meet Patsy Kane Wiswell of Patsy Kane Nautical

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patsy Kane Wiswell.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always been a hand-maker. Its tough way to make a living right out of college, though, so I initially went into finance.

Launching my nautical jewelry design business was a part time labor of love for the first several years, summer on the Cape meant a new rope bracelet every year. Starting with this cherished summer icon, we added a shackle to the classic braid, for easy on and off, and the Summer Bracelet was born!

We started out with a booth at our local Farmer’s Market and Holiday Pop up Boutiques around the North Shore to learn the ins and outs of selling. Four years ago, we took the plunge into exhibiting at trade shows to establish wholesale relationships with our fabulous retail friends.

We’ve grown from a single line of hand-braided marine cord bracelets into design and production of our New England Originals line, while still maintaining our handmade roots.

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?
We received help, support and guidance at every step along the road. From my very first retail account, who took the time to teach me about stock numbers (necessary!), to fellow makers who offered advice on suppliers, trade shows and displays, to friendly competitors who gave us referrals (and warnings) on almost everything we asked about, to a fabulous retail friend who took a chance on a naive jewelry maker who walked in off the street, we have been seriously lucky!

It was difficult, at first, to locate resources and suppliers. There’s no magical list! But, with a lot of internet research, questions asked and leads followed, we were able to assemble a fabulous group of suppliers to provide us with top notch supplies and service.

Designing and launching our (second) website, with no background in design or technology was a big hurdle, we teamed up with a friend who has serious design skills to help design our logo and marketing materials. Huge help! And we just kept at it and laughed and cried our way through. We still struggle with SEO and driving traffic to our website and maybe always will, but accomplishing the launch was a big confidence builder.

Letting go of things or products that didn’t work or sell was/is a struggle. A lot of time and effort goes into the design process and when something doesn’t sell it’s hard, but necessary to let go and move on. That’s a tough lesson to learn.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Patsy Kane Nautical – what should we know?
We are a maker/designer of nautical jewelry based in Marblehead. Our lines are: The Navigator Collection – custom location latitude and longitude bracelets, necklaces and earrings in sterling silver and gold fill, The Marine Cord Collection -The Summer Bracelet, The Rigger Bracelet and Monkey Fist Earrings and, The New England Originals Collection: iconic symbols of nautical New England in sterling silver.

The Navigator Collection is made by me (owner/designer Patsy Kane Wiswell) in my workroom in Marblehead. Our Marine Cord Collection is made in partnership with Heritage Industries, a program of the Northeast ARC. Our New England Originals designs are made for us, to our design specifications, in Rhode Island.

We are most proud of keeping manufacturing local (as much as possible) seeking New England based suppliers and our partnership with Heritage Industries.

I am most thankful for the amazing support of my husband – without whom, none of this would have been possible – literally. He does all the heavy lifting, makes my displays, labels my packaging, cooks me dinner and ensures everything runs perfectly at home.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Gratitude. I feel so lucky that I actually get to do this! Dream come true.

Service & Quality. We strive to put out the best possible product with the best possible service.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.patsykane.com
• Email: info@patsykane.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/patsykane
• Facebook: facebook.com/patsykanecompany

Image Credit:
Patsy Kane Wiswell

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