Dreaming in the Fabrics of Life - West Coast Alchemist
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in a clothing line but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Laken Craig-Malyniak, owner of West Coast Alchemist, located in Abbotsford, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
West Coast Alchemist is more a lifestyle brand than a clothing one. We do home decor with blended wool prints, blankets, shawls, scarves, bandanas, pillows, accessories, as well as hand-dyed throws & clothing. My wool blends are all cut, sewn, and hand frayed by me or (recently) my husband. They are all named after mountains from around the world with the hope of inspiring a love for nature. My dyed pieces are all dyed by me. I am currently working towards moving all my colour palette to only natural dyes. My dyed throws are all handspun, hand weaved organic cotton.
The Adventurers Clothing line is all named after Lakes from around the world. It comes with an inspirational quote written discretely on them as a positive message from me to my customer. Nature is my inspiration, and I try to create with purpose. I am in the middle of developing another line of clothing for WCA called Rectified Threads, and it will focus on breathing new life into our previously loved clothes. Upcycling clothing isn’t a fad; it’s a way to help keep us accountable, slow down our consumption, and teach us how fun it is to truly express ourselves through our garments because, like us, a rectified thread is 100% unique.
Tell us about yourself
I’ve always been a person who worked 2-3 jobs. I decided in the summer of 2019 not to fill a position I had left with another one but to take that time and energy to push my home business forward. I was a single mom and just needed more income when I started West Coast Alchemist in 2017. I didn’t put much energy or time into it until 2019.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Surviving 2020-2021. Lol, we all had to learn quickly to pivot. I had just taken my business to market in 2019 and really officially launched it publicly. And then it all shut down. My wool blended blankets started, and I quickly realized that they really needed to be seen and touched in person to sell because I was just going “public” with them. I didn’t have the footprint in the market that other brands who do similar products as I did. So I pivoted and started to use my dyeing experience to create something more aligned with buying online. That’s how the WCA Adventure Clothing line was created.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Learning to tune out the haters and the negativity. Understand it comes from fear and that it really isn’t a reflection of you or your product.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be patient and kind with yourself; running and growing your business takes time, and it will be hard.
- Go to markets; as a small business, people want to meet you and see who they support.
- Don’t focus on just the sales when at the market. Think of a market as an in-person webpage; if you saw 200-300 people come to your small business website in a 4-5 hour period, you will be ecstatic. Engaging with them in person is way more effective than them scanning your web page. You know your product, talk about it share your passion for it with them. They might not buy that day, but I promise you will see more followers, which will turn into sales later.
Bonus tip for when you do go to market. Post where you will be, times, and other vendors who will be there! An event host gives you a physical location to meet people; you have to help bring them there. It’s not just on them.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
You are your biggest and best marketing tool. Also, find other small business owners who share your companies culture and support one another. We as individuals can never produce enough for the entire world, so don’t be greedy and leave ego at the door. We are all just trying to live our dream and do something we love.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/westcoastalchemist/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westcoastalchemist/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westcoastalchemist/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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