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Crafty Divas and Entrepreneurial Empresses
Julie Um of Yumiyah.com
We are so proud to introduce you to our first Crafty Diva and Entrepreneurial Empress, Julie Um!! Each month we will bring to you some amazing women that are making it happen for themselves out in the world on their talent and crafty-ness.
We first learned of Julie's awesome handbags in November 2002. She graciously offered to participate in a "Choose Your Prize" giveaway on our site, allowing our visitors to choose the handbag of their choice as the winning prize. The response was incredible. Not only did we fall in love with her handbags - but it seems that many of our visitors (that means you) did as well. The comments that were sent to us about Julie's great talent was just the little nudge we needed to arrange for her to be the first profile in our new section. So thank-you to our readers, and thank-you to Julie!
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The Interview
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 The Basic Lowdown:
Girlposse.com: Who are you?
Julie: My name is Julie Um!
Girlposse.com: Where are you located?
Julie: Las Vegas, NV
Girlposse.com: What is your creation / business?
Julie: I run Yumiyah.com and mostly sell handmade
from scratch bags, but I'm getting into other crafts that will be shown on
the site very soon. Legwarmers are my newest passion!
Girlposse.com: Where can people buy your stuff?
Julie: Right now, everything is web-based, but
Yumiyah products are expected to be carried in some independently run
clothing businesses in Las Vegas sometime this year. Always looking to
expand! When they are, the locations will be posted on the site.
Girlposse.com: How long have you been doing this?
Julie: WELLL, if you mean sewing in general
(because that's what I do, technically), I've been doing it since
high-school, fashioning bags out of random fabrics, making backpacks for
school, but not very often. It was a once in a while thing until last year
when the urge came RANDOMLY, and I started making things non-stop and
surprising myself because the results weren't hideous! It was exciting
because I had discovered a skill that I hadn't known I possessed.
Girlposse.com: Tell us something about yourself - your personality:
Julie: I am highly ambitious
and focused. My mom is constantly telling me to take it one step at a time
because my lists of things to do are getting out of control! I've always
felt that there are so many things out there for people to educate
themselves about, and only one lifetime to learn it all in! If I want to do
something...it's as good as done...unless I'm hungry, in which case I'll
postpone to go munch. That's another thing, I LOVE FOOD! =P
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 Now for the rest of the scoop.......
Girlposse.com: What finally inspired you to offer your goods to the world?
Julie: My mom has been
very supportive of me throughout this entire business endeavor, and her
encouragement is part of what got the wheels in my head turning. After
that, I felt that there definitely had to be a market out there for people
that liked unique bags, coming straight from the artist. I thought that
people would like being able to directly converse with the girl behind their
product and it would be a more personal, custom feeling. I know that I,
personally, have the hardest time finding things that I like when I go
shopping, so I make and wear my own bags because I like them a lot! =)
Girlposse.com: What was (is) your biggest obstacle in selling what you create?
Julie: Getting the
word out. In the beginning (it's still somewhat the beginning), it was the
hardest thing to do. I e-mailed the owners of the sites that I admire and
inquired about link exchanges, and they were all really friendly and great
about it. But I dont' like to do that to too many sites because I feel like
I'm spamming them and being impersonal. It's also difficult when there are
pressures of getting new items out all the time (which is good pressure,
though), because I run and maintain everything on my own, and also have a
life outside of the site...school, my family, volunteering...etc. The site
is my creative outlet and I have a lot of fun with it...so all of these
obstacles are miniscule, taken in stride and make the challenge of running a
she-commerce business that much more rewarding when I receive positive
feedback! Thank you GirlPosse! You have been a friend and a supporter!
Girlposse.com: How do you come up with your ideas?
Julie: Actually...the bags in my first
collection were the results of sketches I had doodled all through my
notebook during my last semester lectures! Half of my Philosophy section of
my notebook turned into a drawing board for my designs. Sometimes I'll get
the urge to do something with a certain kind of fabric and the idea will
just appear in my head...but usually you can find me sitting on my floor
with fabric in front of me, staring really hard at it for a LONG TIME. I'm
sure it's a disturbing sight. =P
Girlposse.com: What keeps you going on a bad day?
Julie: Dinnertime with my parents, and a good
talk from my best friends, Heidi and Spencer. A little fried tofu never
fails to make me happy, either.
Girlposse.com: Where are some of your favorite places to shop?
Julie: I love Anthropologie and
Bunya Bunya....Thrift stores, book stores, music stores, fabric stores, and
korean markets (my eyes grow huge when I go into these places.)
Girlposse.com: What was the best piece of advice you've been given?
Julie: My dad used to tell me
when I was younger..."you have big eyes and a small stomach." and now he
says "you have huge eyes and a HUGE STOMACH!" And he didn't mean it
literally, either. I used to want to do everything (or eat everything in
sight) and couldnt' really "stomach it." (haha) But as I grew up and learned
a life's lesson or two, I have the stomach to match my eyes....or the
perseverance to match my ambition.
Girlposse.com: What advice would you give to a future Crafty Diva?
Julie: Keep doing what you are
doing because it's the little things that make people more interesting.
Making things, creating, being inspired..in whatever genre...gives us all
character!! I strongly believe it!
Girlposse.com: Any additional thoughts or comments you'd like to share with the world?
Julie: Buy
DIY!
Girlposse.com: Are they any other Crafty Divas or Entrepreneurial Empresses we should know
about?
Julie: Ooh, TONS! All of the sites that I love are located on my links
page, and they are all loved equally! But some uniquely inspired ones are
run by Anjali at HappyLuckyMe.com (yummy food totes!), Jenny at
Cutxpaste.com (consignment and vintage goods), and Wanda at Modify (HIP MOD
furniture!). These ladies hav skillz up the kazoo.
~January 2003
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Are you a Crafty Diva and Entrepreneurial Empress? Or do you know one that should be featured in a future Girlposse.com issue? If so, e-mail Trixie with the details.
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