Today we’d like to introduce you to Jen Clark.
Hi Jen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Jen and Company Too started from my need to quit smoking cigarettes and my partner Dennis felt the same way. One day, he came home with some hemp and plastic beads with large holes and asked if I knew how to make anything with them. I had made lots of bracelets at Girl Scout Camp in the 1980’s, so we both were soon tying knots whenever we would crave a cigarette. After about a month or less, we managed to taper back from a pack a day each to almost none and then we were done.
We started making our jewelry for friends and family and after a trip to a bead store in Minneapolis, a person working there told us about the website Etsy for selling our jewelry. It was in its infancy and in Beta form, but we jumped in and started selling macrame jewelry pretty quickly.
My family started doing their own creative endeavors and they wanted to sell their goods on Etsy as well. My uncle Brian was making stained glass mosaics on table tops and various surfaces. My mother was making strung beaded jewelry with natural stone beads. My son was also an incredible artist and had drawn our “dancing froggy” logo image, specializing in portraits at the time. My mother came up with the name, she told me “Jen” should be first because I did all our selling on Etsy and shipping. Then she said the rest of the family would be “and Company, Too.” And that was 21 years ago this year.
Jen and Company Too started doing festivals and vendor opportunities in the spring, summer, and fall months. We started this small event, it was a blocked off street and 1 block long with a band or two playing in the evening. It became the renowned Thursdays on First event that still exists. Our little business also loved to sell our items at blues music festivals and got to enjoy so much incredible music and customers over the years.
One of our goals was to sell our goods in stores locally. We found this opportunity in 2015 at a little store in Mayo Clinic’s underground subway system called Scrub Your Butt Soap Company. The store featured local artists (selling goods on consignment) and handmade bath and body products. My mom and I had gotten to be friends with the original owner and she wanted our jewelry to sell in the store. Eventually, my mother and I ended up being managers of SYBSC for a few years before its closing in 2018.
Since 2018, I have been the only one still making items for Jen and Company Too. My mom no longer made jewelry and at that point, my uncle was selling his goods locally by himself, and I was thinking about quitting. But my partner Dennis encouraged me to continue. He said we could do the shows together, so that’s what we did.
My art changed when SYBSC closed. I was less focused on macrame and started making my own wire wrapped pendants. I taught myself my own process and eventually started working with bare copper wire, using Liver of Sulphur to darken the wire, and then sealing with microcrystalline wax.
Another friend and business owner was opening a shop featuring local artists and wanted my jewelry to sell on consignment there. We continued to sell there for 7 years.
When the lockdown/COVID 19 happened, I started a hobby I hadn’t done since I was 10 in Girl Scouts, cross stitch. I already had most of the supplies so it was inexpensive and easy to get started. Cross stitch is a fun way for me to express myself and the world around me. My cross stitch art is quite controversial because I express myself with swear words sometimes and not everyone likes that. Other work you will see from me are beautiful creatures, scenic views, encouraging words for fighting the patriarchy, and LGBTQIA+ themes or elements. Lately, it has been about fighting for immigrants in Minneapolis, which is an hour from my home.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Jen and Company Too has had more than our share of obstacles in the 21 years we have been making and selling our art. My personal struggles have been difficult to deal with. I am a disabled, queer, trans/nonbinary person who has had fibromyalgia, Degenerating Disc Disease, arthritis, and CPTSD for more than 10 years. Art has always been my way to calm myself and my thoughts and has saved me from dark depression many times in my life. Art can be used as a healing tool and my life is proof.
We took a year off when my son got very ill and was hospitalized off and on. He has been just fine since his last surgery. My mother got very ill and stopped making jewelry. When facing these huge changes, most small businesses would likely end. Jen and Company Too is still here. It’s just me, making small statements for the big world and wrapping tiny, beautiful things in wire.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Jen and Company Too is me, Jen. I make beautiful copper wire wrapped pendants and cross stitch art. The thing I’m most proud of is keeping the business these 21 years despite obstacles. Also, being able to evolve, grow and change as necessary is incredibly important for a business and we have achieved that.
What sets my jewelry and creations apart from others is the fact that I am self-taught and have evolved my own style. My jewelry is very unique with each piece being one of a kind. I love doing custom work. Many people have a favorite rock they may have gotten on a special beach or a rock from a gift store. I enjoy the challenge of bringing the beauty of the stones out and wrapping them into wearable art.
My cross stitch creations were created from a need to express myself and my opinions visually to share with my customers. These little panels have been a great addition to my art offerings.
How do you think about happiness?
Connection makes me happy. I love connecting with customers at art festivals, I love connecting with other creative people, and I love the community I live in. I have made so many friends through the years of vending at local markets and I enjoy seeing their artistic creations evolve.
Contact Info:
- Website: email: [email protected]
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/Jenandcompany2
