Tell us about your handmade business
I create many items from clay using the slab technique. Some pieces are functional and others are pieces of art. My studio/gallery is in Spanish Village Art Center, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA.
Tell other handmade artisans an interesting anecdote about your business or your product.
I create fortune cookies out of clay and add a paper fortune when they are complete. Before Christmas, I was contacted by a customer asking about my cookies. They wondered if they could be placed in a fish tank. I replied to them that yes they could. They ended up purchasing 15 of the cookies in numerous colors (no fortunes inside). I asked them to please send me a picture of them in the fish tank as it was such an unusual thing to do with them. They said the cookies were going to a well-known actor in LA and due to privacy issues, they could not send me an image of the fish tank. Hmm…
Explain a turning point or defining moment that changed your business.
One turning point is when I realized my fortune cookies were a very popular item and have continued to sell. I have been making them for over 20 years, and may continue making them for 20 more years!
How did you overcome any setbacks your handmade business faced?
Lack of sales can be the biggest set back that happens occasionally. I simply continue to create whatever I enjoy making. Sales do end up picking up. I never stop creating.
How do you market your products?
Through my studio/gallery.
On Instagram – vicky.delong
