Storenvy Spotlight: Poofy Cheeks Talks About Starting a Business & Fabric Addiction!

Tell us about yourself.

 I am Kelsey Sapp and I create handmade items for my Storenvy shop Poofy Cheeks! I am originally from a teeny tiny town in Illinois (Rochelle, IL) and now I live in Florida. I am a wife, mother of two toddlers, and I also work outside the home in hospitality. I am in the midst of obtaining my degree in web design and in my free time I love to garden, blog, go to the beach and learn more about photography.

When and why did you decide to start Poofy Cheeks? I started Poofy Cheeks in 2007 after having my first son. I have always been into fine art and super creative, but having my son inspired me to create items for babies. In the beginning I sold handmade nursery décor items, but since then my focus has evolved. Now after having two sons, I decided that I needed to make things for myself. There just wasn’t enough of the color pink or frill in my life anymore! Besides, I have a serious addiction to fabric in any sort of pretty print!

Do you have a day job? If so, what is it?

I work outside the home as a Concierge at an upscale beach resort. My hours there vary with the tourism season. We are going into our busy season now which means I will be working 40+ hours a week. In the slow times I work 15-30 hours a week at the resort. I often try to work long shifts so I have more days during the week to spend at home with my two boys. This week I worked two 16 hour shifts… on these days I rely on COFFEE!

What is your favorite item in your store and why? Ummm… it is hard to pick just one!Right now the item in my shop that I adore the most is the flower garden headband. The headband reminds me of Spring and all of the new flowers in bloom this time of year!

Where in the world did you come up with the name Poofy Cheeks?

Poofy Cheeks came about because my husband and I used to call each other ‘Poofy’. I really don’t know where, when, or why this started? Then when my son was born we used to call him ‘Poofy Cheeks’ because he was such a chubby guy. So when it came time to think of a name for my shop this was unique to me!

If you had an alternate life (like a flash sideways in LOST), what would you be doing?

I can’t say that I have ever watched an episode of LOST, but if I had an alternate life I would be a female version of James Bond. Think black skirt suit, high heels, and red lipstick - licensed to kill!

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

The biggest challenge I have had to overcome is finding out how to market myself and my products. I am very modest and I have trouble talking about what I do or make to people I know. I am just now overcoming the fears of promoting my products on my blog and Facebook page. Somebody wise (Amanda from the shop My Sweet Knittings) told me that if people didn’t like my stuff that they wouldn’t follow me. These were some of the best words of advice I have received!

Since you launched back in October you have really expanded your product line. What can we expect as you continue to grow?

I will continue adding a lot of the same types of items, but my next venture is to add one inch button pins designed by me. They are in the design phase now, but they will say things like Live Handmade, Create, and I’m One Crafty B**** (my alternate life inspired this one!) Inspiration can strike at the oddest of times, so I never know what is next. I just go with the items that ‘feel’ right to me at the time. The beauty of it is that I am in charge of this little operation and I have the power to pick and choose what works best for me.

What’s the ultimate goal for Poofy Cheeks?

My goal for Poofy Cheeks is to market to boutiques and to start doing wholesale orders. The day that I can make Poofy Cheek items all day instead of having to work at my ‘day job’ will be the day I reach my ultimate goal!

What’s your advice for someone who wants to create their own brand?

Make something you love. It is so much easier to promote items you truly have a passion for! My rule of thumb is that If you wouldn’t wear it or buy it … don’t sell it! Another piece of advice is to try to make your brand as unique as possible. Make your items identifiable.

What’s your favorite thing about Storenvy?

I have a lot of favorite things about Storenvy!! Whenever I have a question it is answered SUPER quick, it is FREE (who doesn’t love free?), and I love the new feature that allow you to track sales from the marketplace. I have really been exploring the marketplace lately and have found tons of new shops I am in love with!

Would you be willing to share a special discount code with our readers?

‘Storenvy Rocks’ gets you 15% off of your next order at Poofy Cheeks! http://poofycheeks.storenvy.com/