Meet Allison, owner of The Farm on Honey Hole. She makes the beautiful wooden pumpkins and Valentine's Day Houses we carry at Autumn and June, and she has SO MANY other beautiful creations in her etsy shop which will be linked below.
What made you start your business?
I have always found joy in creating and gifting personalized hand-crafted gifts to others. In 2020 when the pandemic hit, I unfortunately lost my sales job in the hospitality industry. For over a decade, I helped deliver personalized experiences for guests by booking/planning large conferences and events for hotels and convention centers. Once people were restricted from in-person meetings for an unknown period of time, hotels started greatly reducing their staff. With hospitality being all that I had previously worked in and had a degree in, I decided to take a leap and open an Etsy shop in the interim until things picked back up with the meeting and events industry. Over two years later, I never in a million years imagined that my little Etsy shop would still be here, let alone thriving!
What is your favorite product you make/sell?
I would have to say that my personalized DIY footprint/handprint kits are my favorite things to make and sell. The first kit I ever made was a Halloween footprint kit for my best friend's newborn twins. It came out so cute that I figured I would take a few photos and throw it in my shop. That first year, I ended up creating kits for Halloween, Valentine's Day, Easter and Christmas and they were so well-received by customers! I often have customers tell me that they make the perfect keepsakes and great gifts for grandparents. With each new child that they add to their family, they come back for another. It truly melts my heart when they send me photos of the completed signs. Not only are they a physical, personalized item that can be enjoyed as decor year after year, but they also allow for a fun experience for the parents and babies/toddlers. I am all about delivering experiences!
What is the biggest struggle in your business?
I would say that the biggest struggle in my business is trying to manage my time and separate work from play. Working from home can have its advantages, but I also personally find it very challenging to stop myself from working around the clock. I am committed to trying to get orders created and shipped as quickly as possible. With most of my items being personalized and made-to-order, most of them involve a lot of steps, from cutting, sanding, staining and painting the wood, to working on the designs and stencils on my computer, to eventually packaging the finished product and running it to the Post Office-- SO much time is involved, and I don't think most people realize that.
What is your best selling item?
My best selling item is most definitely my personalized s'mores caddy. This year alone I've sold over 500 of them! I truly believe they make the perfect gift for anyone with a firepit! They are so fun to personalize and fill up for gifting! I've showcased ways to style them for all the different holidays. They also make great housewarming and wedding gifts, and I've heard a lot of couples actually use them at their wedding receptions which I think is so neat!
What’s something you would like people to know about being a business owner?
Small business owners are SO very appreciative of each and every single order we receive. Unlike the big box stores, we are real people working so hard to create a high-quality product/experience for you, many times with our own hands on our own kitchen tables. There's really nothing small about a small business. We small business owners wear many hats, and I think most small business owners can attest that we do more work now than we probably ever did in another job. We also appreciate being contacted directly if a problem ever arises with your shopping experience or item you receive. Nothing is worse than receiving a less than 5-star review from a customer, but having no idea prior that they had an issue. I can assure you that we absolutely welcome the opportunity to make it right.
Thank you, Allison! You can find her at the following links: