Hook & Chain

January marks M.Elisa & Co. needle & yarn, hook & chain production time for the Fall/Winter season 2019. I'm excited to see what this year has in store. Last year began with a lull in sales online, only to pick up with great momentum offline. What a blessing it has truly been! With wonderful guidance from fellow makers online, they've helped streamline my inventory to suit my niche market. This year's inventory reflects tried and true trends that my customers love with new holiday themed items to add to their collections. 

Three months of working hard planning, creating and marketing will be hectic. After 2018 sales I am ready for more blessings to come. Who knew that this thing would work out. It was a lesson learned that when you take a leap of faith and just trust God with your gifts, everything will work out wonderfully! I had so much self-doubt and fear of failing. I really believed that people would hate what I made, those thoughts dug their heels right into my heart and I was discouraged. What I didn't realize is that I wasn't reaching the right audience. I would tell others about what I was working on, but because my online reach was weak and sales were slow, I hesitated showing off my collection. Then I showed the right person. My landlord and family friend, whom knew this town like the back and front of his hand.

A native Angeleno like myself and fellow real estate investor ( income property investor ), he was able to steer me in the right direction. His elderly mother, once a fashion merchandiser and seamstress in her own right, currently in full capacity of herself regardless of her age, looked over my work. Her creations are works of perfection, so it was an honor to gain her seal of approval and her encouragement. Their consensus was to take to public market places, preferably in "gentrified" areas of Los Angeles...lol... and place my inventory on display with the option to purchase. It didn't take long for me to sell completely out of everything I had with customers privately requesting custom creations for a slightly higher price. This was totally unexpected!

The ole' hook & chain has found its niche with most of my requests for the following season being crochet items. What a year of growth, health and great wealth, l'chaim 2019!