Tell me a little bit about your embroidery business.

I started it I think a month ago—a little into quarantine. The reason why I started it was because I always was interested in embroidering and I always liked doing it, but throughout the school year, I didn’t really have a lot of time that I felt like I could dedicate to create a little business out of it. But thankfully, one good thing that came out of not going to school and staying home is I have a lot more free time like everyone else. So I wanted to use my free time to create what I like and also sell some of it so that I could share my art with others.

How did you figure out the designs you wanted to sell?

For design-wise, honestly I’m not great with really intricate patterns so I wanted to create something that I could easily recreate for a lot of different hoops. But at the same time, I wanted it to be cute and something that people could either gift to others or decorate in their room or maybe in their dorms next year.

So that’s why I went with a little face that’s smiling, and then in the text bubble, that’s where I put different symbols—like hearts, stars and clouds. It’s a lot more minimalistic than some other embroidery designs you might see, but that’s what works for me.

What was your motivation to include a personalized message with your product?

I think when I order things from Etsy or other small businesses, some of them would include small messages, and as a customer, that made me feel appreciated.

So I guess I just wanted to allow my customers to also feel like they’re appreciated and not just like a money transaction.

Who are your target consumers?

I’ve definitely had more sales with “facebook moms.” I’ve been uploading (my business) to my mom’s Facebook page because she’s friends with a lot of moms who appreciate little art pieces. But I’ve also been trying to expand that to highschoolers. I’m trying to market it as a gift you can give to people you care about like your parents or family friends. Also with Mother’s Day coming up soon, I’m planning on advertising it as a small Mother’s Day gift you can give so that is my plan as of now.

Are there any ways you would change your business in the future?

I’m definitely considering expanding to some clothing pieces because I feel like some people would prefer something they can wear versus just keep in their room. But as of now, I’m still in the designing stages of that, and I want to focus more on my first type of product. I’m hoping to expand in the next two months.

How has this business changed how you view quarantine and yourself?

In terms of quarantine, it’s definitely given me something to keep myself busy with. Overall, I feel like embroidery has allowed me to explore hobbies that I’ve always been interested in—like in elementary and middle school—that I feel like I kind of pushed aside to focus on school and extracurriculars the past four years of high school. It’s been really fun for me to get creative again and share my work with others.

Where can people purchase your embroidery?

They can visit my instagram @jhe.km or I have a direct link they can open.