Taking care of business

UP students become quarantine entrepreneurs

UP students are no exception when it comes to being their own boss. From candle making and sewing to polymer clay jewelry and digital art, their creativity and drive to fill the void left by the pandemic has turned into lucrative and fulfilling business ventures. We caught up with five UP student-run small businesses to pull back the curtain on their products, process and purpose. 

Willamette Wick Co.

Juniors Chelsea Power and Nicole Shea hand pour soy wax candles with scents and labels inspired by Oregon. At the end of summer 2020, Power and Shea were looking for a new creative outlet and a way to spend meaningful time together, screen free. After some research and trial runs, candle making became their escape.

“Even though it is a job, it's an escape from the pandemic actually because it's something we can do together that's fun and gets our minds off of everything else,” Shea said. 

Power is an economics major and Shea is a nursing major. Despite their more technical focuses in school, they enjoy exploring their creative side. With classic scents like “Stumptown” and “West Coast,” Shea and Power try to create scent combinations that capture the essence of places like Portland or the Oregon coast. Since they hand pour their candles in small batches, they often release in collections inspired by the season or certain holidays.

A highlight of the venture for both Power and Shea has been the community response. 

“I think my favorite part of our small business is like getting to show people the next things that we're working on,” Power said. “Definitely being able to post on Instagram, ‘Hey we have these new candles out!’ it's so exciting for us to see people like interacting with us and buying our candles.”

• Instagram @willamettewickco

• Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/willamettewickco/

• TikTok @willamettewickco

Sewn by Kawika

Senior Kawika Jacang never expected his sewing hobby to turn into a small business. Jacang “fell in love by accident” with sewing two years ago and since learning has made scrunchies and bucket hats for family and friends. He was reluctant to turn his passion into a small business, but after the start of the pandemic decided to give it a shot. 

“I love doing it,” Jacang said. “And it wouldn't be a hassle. I would sit down, sew, make something someone else would enjoy. Pass it on, while also trying to get through this.”

In addition to scrunchies and bucket hats, one of Jacang’s most popular items is face masks. Launching his small business and sewing everyday has helped Jacang push through the difficulties of fully online classes.

“It's been a blessing, starting this business, because it’s made me really happy,” Jacang said. Really busy, but also happy.”

In the long term, Jacang hopes to keep growing his small business and in the longer term collaborate with other small businesses and larger corporations.

• Instagram @sewnbykawika 

  Little Fir Co.

Junior nursing major Shannon Ferguson started selling her digital art in the summer of 2020 as a form of racial justice activism. After turning one of her Black Lives Matter inspired designs into a sticker, she received an overwhelming response and donated the proceeds to the NAACP. 

Since then, she slowly advertised more sticker designs on her Instagram account, with 10% of her monthly proceeds being donated to a different social justice organization. These collective designs grew into Little Fir Co., where Ferguson sells stickers, beanies, prints, t-shirts and the occasional custom digital portrait. 

“One thing that’s come out of the pandemic is I feel like it's given me a lot of time to be with myself and reflect on who I am and what makes me happy,” Ferguson said. “I had so much time for myself to do the fun things that I normally don't have time for, like making art.”

Ferguson sees art as an important part of her life and a benefit for her mental health moving forward. Digital art allows her a creative outlet from her more intense nursing studies. Little Fir Co. is something she doesn’t feel pressured to keep stocked or growing, it’s simply a place where she can express a different side of herself. The discovery of UP’s small business community has solidified this positive experience. 

“The small business community is something I didn't even know existed, and it's so sweet that I've met so many people through social media that have small businesses too and it's really cool to talk to them and hear their story,” Ferguson said. “It’s blown me away how supportive people have been and how many people care to follow my dream.” 

• Instagram @littlefirco

• Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/littlefirco/

• TikTok @littlefirco

SF Clay

While polymer clay is typically used in classroom arts and crafts, artists like senior psychology major Siena Falzon breathe new life into the medium by forming it into jewelry. She learned how to make polymer clay earrings a few weeks before UP sent students home in March of 2020. 

Falzon described it as perfect timing. Making clay earrings was really fun for her, and with the start of the pandemic opening up her free time, she kept making them and eventually started selling under the business name SF Clay. 

Documenting the creative process on TikTok played a big role in expanding the business beyond Falzon’s current network. Her account has over 5,000 followers, and her first viral video making her signature “Picasso” earrings has over 300,000 views. 

With the ability to manipulate the shape, color and texture of clay, Falzon has limitless possibilities for designs, which is evident from her wide array of collections. 

“I feel like I kind of go through phases with what I want to be making and what inspires me, so like last semester, I was doing a lot of celestial earrings and lighter colors and pastels,” Falzon said. “I don't have any solid concrete place where I get inspiration from. Sometimes I'll see a picture, or I’ll see a building that’s shaped in a cool way and I wonder if I could do something similar with clay.” 

Falzon plans to keep up her business through the summer, and hopefully through her graduate school program, workload permitting. 

• Instagram @sf.clay

• TikTok @sf.clay

• Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/sfclayearrings

Ashley Kim 

Senior math major Ashley Kim describes herself as a “hydro-painter.” Simply put, she takes Hydroflask water bottles and covers them in custom artwork and a protective resin coating. 

Kim has always been an artist, and started out copying manga comics and old Disney cartoons. In November of 2020, she decided to gain some side income, but also felt inspired by other new pandemic small businesses to contribute her art to the world. 

Kim’s work is custom and based off of freelance commissions, leading each Hydroflask to be completely unique to the owner. 

“Right now, I honestly gain inspiration from listening to people's stories,” Kim said. “So the custom work I do is per person, and I incorporate something that matters to them, what they want to do, what they want to do for the future. And the inspiration of stories is what draws me to continue.” 

In terms of moving forward, Kim always sees art as a part of her life. She hopes to incorporate her creativity with her math major in a career in data visualization. Later on, she hopes to start her own business to mentor other creatives. 

“I would like to either work in a business or start my own business, that promotes primarily minorities to push their creative careers,” Kim said. “Growing up in an Asian community for example coming from my background specifically, everyone around me was so talented in art but most of them right now are just working in corporate careers. And it makes me really sad to see that, because they had so far to go if they really wanted to.” 

• Instagram @aerikiim

• TikTok @aerikiim

Molly Lowney is a Photographer for The Beacon. She can be reached at lowney21@up.edu.

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