Bookish Adventures: Interview

Interview with Eliza

1. Why did you open a bookish shop?

Where to start? Well, I've always loved making things, whether with my mind or hands. I know I got that trait from my mom, who also got it from her mom. It's three generations of serious crafters. I've tried pretty much any type of crafting under the sun, and love trying new things. But after a lot of searching, I've found a few things that are truly a joy to make. Ever since I discovered the jewelry section in a craft store, I fell in love with the expanse of beads, charms, and the endless possibilities that they created. I started trying out my own jewelry-making, from bracelets to necklaces and earrings. I was open to trying it all! All the while, I also found myself diving more and more into books as my bookshelf grew with stacks of paper treasures. then I wondered... what if I could combine my love for books and making jewelry? I found some of my favorite quotes from books and dived into turning the jewelry I made into fandom inspired pieces! I loved creating pieces to show off my love for books and all the fandoms I consider myself a part of! And thus... this shop was born.

2. What was the date that you opened your shop?

I opened it right after July 4th, in 2017! 

3. What was the first item you had in the shop?

The very first item I listed in my shop was a metal stamped necklace with the word "bookworm" on it. 

4. What has been your favorite accessory that you created for your shop, and why?

This is a hard question! When I create an item for the shop, I usually make things that I personally would like to own, and thus I hope other people will also want it! If I have to pick one of my favorites though, it would probably be the book boyfriend necklaces. I have SO many book boyfriends, so I figured other people must also have the same problem, haha. The necklace is custom-designed, and the customer can pick from ANY book boyfriend and have their name stamped on a necklace.

5. Can you tell us some major changes in your shop from sales to designs?

My shop has definitely grown over the past two years in so many ways I could never have anticipated. One of the most recent development is my addition of a clothing line to my shop called Mithril Threads. It includes a variety of clothing and accessory designs all based on some of my favorite books and fandoms. The name Mithril Threads was inspired by the Mithril shirt given to Bilbo in The Hobbit (by J.R.R. Tolkien), which just happens to be my all-time favorite fandom!

6. What boxes have your items been featured in?

Over the past two years, I've had the opportunity to collaborate with many talented people and be able to have my items included in their boxes. Some of the boxes are no longer around, but I've created many custom items for boxes, as well as provided some of my more original designs to their collection! One of the larger boxes was the BookBoyfriend boxes! 

7. How do you make the jewelry, clothing, stickers, and so much more? Is it a more than a one-person job or do you work alone?

Great question! Some days I'm not sure how it all gets done :) I run the business mostly on my own, with the help of some production partners. The clothing is printed by a production partner, but all of the jewelry, bookmarks, etc. are made by hand by me! I also do the majority of the designing, with a bit of help from a talented graphics artist. 

8. What is one thing we might not know about you?

Hmm... well the first thing I can think of when someone asks me to tell something about myself is that I love books! But I'm sure you already know that, haha. I'm also a registered nurse, and I'm currently working full time and going back to school while running this shop. Phew, it keeps things busy for sure.

9. I heard you are writing a book; can you tell us what it is about and when we might be able to see it?

The progress is slow, but I am still working on it! It's actually a series of books, and I just finished writing the second book! I'm in the process of editing the first two and brainstorming for the third and final book! It's hard to say much about it without giving away all the plot, but it's full of magic, runes, romance, adventure, and it all takes place in a world called Veasos. As for when it might be shared publicly? Well, we'll have to wait and see about that ;)

10. Can you tell us some more about your shop that we should know or might not know? 

One thing I'd love for more people to know is how much I love creating custom orders and designs! I love working with customers to help design special items just for them! As for how I choose my reps, that isn't a simple question to answer! I take in a variety of things when considering possible reps. Some of those things include: photography style (and if I think their photos will compliment my products), how active they are on their account, and if they have supported my shop in the past (such as sharing photos I've posted, commenting, or purchasing from my shop!).