Continuing our series of inspirational people we love who are making good things, let me introduce the wonderful Ginny from Swonderful. I was lucky enough to meet Ginny in person yesterday at Craft2.0 at the NewDowse.
Ginny runs Swonderful in Brooklyn with her mum, writes a blog and creates awesome fashion, accessories and pretty pretty things.
1. What made you open Swonderful?
The shop was an idea we had been toying with for a long time. We finally decided to do it when the perfect space came along & the agony of our 9-5 jobs got too much! We love shops like ours- that sell lots of different bits & pieces & it was kind of a dream to open one of our own. We were both working jobs we didn’t really like while trying to start our label Papercup & in the end the desire to risk it all & open Swonderful was too great!
2. How do you decide what to stock?
Our stock is about 60% stuff we make ourselves, So I guess that’s the major deciding factor. The beauty of it is- it keeps our prices down as there is no middle man. The rest of our stock is either products we have admired for a long time or things we come across through friends or the internet etc. We have quite a few people come in & approach us with their wares too. We have quite a specific aesthetic direction so all our products complement the “Swonderful style”. We try to keep most of our stock local & like to support emerging designers, We do however stock art prints from the States & Australia.
3. What are the constant best sellers?
The Bro Brooklyn tee! I think just about everyone in Brooklyn has one now! It’s pretty much the uniform of Brooklyn school! Our high waisted skirts have been a real winner this season too along with The Lily Rosemary owl necklaces & world sweet world magazine.
4. What do you wear/do to make yourself feel good?
Wearing heels & having clean hair. I can’t stand the feeling of greasy hair, even though others probably wouldn’t notice I can feel it & it’s nasty! I recently got a pair of shooties & I love them! They make any outfit feel finished. I’m also loving my black pleather jacket, it makes me feel like a cool rocker chick & I love how it contrasts with pretty frocks. Oh & if I’m feeling kinda blue all I need is some Flight of the Conchords to make me feel chipper again.
5. How would you define pretty?
Pretty is girlyness, cupcakes, having “done” hair & lipstick on. Pretty is wearing a frilly apron while cooking & having all your perfume bottles neatly lined up on your dressing table. Embrace it!
Visit Swonderful at 54 Cleveland St, Brooklyn, Wellington
A friend encoraged me to check out this post, great post, interesting read… keep up the nice work!