From Barbie to Business- The Story of My Brand

During COVID-19, my mom and I spent our afternoons sewing gowns and masks for frontline workers in quarantine. At the end of each day, we ended up with a pile of multi-colored scraps, which unlocked memories of the days I spent in my grandma’s house while living in India 9 years ago. With an unstable internet connection and the absence of children in the neighborhood, I took up a new hobby- sewing. Using my tailor’s fabric scraps, dull scissors, and bent needles, I spent countless hours making flower embellishments, coin purses, and Barbie clothes- anything I could think of. It had been years since I took up this hobby again, so I wanted to use my time to reconnect with my ambitious 11-year-old self. I took the fabric leftover from the gowns and stayed up late experimenting with various designs. Eventually, Once Upon A Scrap was born as an outlet for me to showcase and sell my recycled jewelry and decor. I stayed up all night thinking of new ideas and worked all morning, bringing them to life.

When I put out new designs, I’d often get comments like “That’s so cute!” or “I need those,” but my sales didn’t reflect the enthusiasm. I felt discouraged and endured several phases of almost giving up on my brand. However, it took me a while to realize that while my products may be creative and cool, they occupy a niche market and only appeal to certain customers, and that’s perfectly okay. After all, jewelry made out of fabric is rare. Once I understood this, I no longer focused on making sales but continued refining my products and embracing my creative flame.