Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicki Newell.
Nicki, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Thimble & Brush Co. is an online boutique for apparel and home decor. The idea of Thimble & Brush Co. was born when I was pregnant with my daughter. I knew my life was going to look different once I became a mom. The plan was for me to stay home with my daughter while my husband worked but I knew I would still want to be creating and making to some extent. I wanted a project, a space that I could pour my creative energy into and I also wanted something that I could work on with my sister, Isabelle, who is similarly creative. So we came up with this business idea together. We wanted to marry our two creative passions, her with embroidery, sewing and textiles, and me with painting, illustration, and this growing interest in embroidery and mixed media. So we came up with the name Thimble & Brush Co., the “Thimble” to represent the fiber arts element, and the “Brush” to represent the painting and art aspect. My sister works another full job time so I do the day to day of running our social media, online store, and customer support. We both contribute and collaborate on product development and creation.
Has it been a smooth road?
There are ups and downs. Some months seems a lot harder than others. Working and staying home with my daughter is not easy. She’s almost a year old now and gets into just about everything, so a lot of my working time is limited to her naps or after she’s gone to bed. My sister working full time also gives her small windows to work on products for the shop.
I think the biggest struggle over the long-run has been getting eyes on our products. We started this business as a sort of side hustle with very few funds, so most of the marketing and customer outreach is done by me in my spare time rather than using paid advertising. I just have to keep telling myself it is a marathon, not a sprint. I have found a very supportive group of businesswomen here in Arlington. When we could meet in person, that helped me a lot with encouragement and experience. I’ve not experienced such a supportive community in the business world before moving to Arlington.
The pandemic has also hit me hard emotionally and mentally. Creativity is a limited resource and during these times of stress and uncertainty, while also being cooped up at home with my daughter, I have found it hard to keep up motivation or even have the creative energy to pour into my work.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Thimble & Brush story. Tell us more about the business.
Thimble & Brush Co. is an online boutique providing low impact on home decor and apparel. Our products range from embroidered home decor pieces, nursery decor, and apparel for adults and kids. We sell mostly online at www.tabc.design, which works well for us since my sister and I are currently in two different states. I have also spent some time selling at some local craft fairs and hope to do that more once the pandemic gets under control.
Something that is very important to me is leaving a healthy world for my daughter to grow up in. Because of that, a core value of Thimble & Brush is having a positive environmental impact. At the heart of Thimble & Brush Co. is a sustainable business model and eco-friendly products. This offers our customers handmade artwork and apparel that is unique but doesn’t hurt the environment. With our apparel, we take two approaches to achieve sustainability:
First, when outsourcing the printing of our shirts, we make sure to work with companies that hold to environmental standards and low impact practices. Second, we utilize recycled materials. We do this by buying second-hand shirts and embroidering and printing on these shirts directly. This not only gives an article of clothing a longer life while reducing waste but also adds to the uniqueness of each item. The likelihood that someone else will have the same style or color shirt with the same design is slim to none.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I would love to have a storefront for Thimble & Brush, a place where I could connect with customers face-to-face. Having a physical space would also allow for some other cool community-building opportunities, such as hosting creative and business workshops. I would love to present opportunities for other creatives to learn and grow, get a chance to sell some of their work in our shop, and maybe offer mentorship for those just starting. There’s no guide book on how to do this small business thing and it’s so nice to have those who are further along, where you hope to be one day willing to come along and guide you a little bit.
I also hope to create some more jobs within the business in the next few years. Thimble & Brush is comprised of my sister and me only at the moment. In the future, I would love to have some employees to help with the marketing, day-to-day administrative tasks, and running the shop in the event we get a storefront. This would allow me to better prioritize product development and creation as well as time with my family.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thimbleandbrushco.design/
- Email: thimbleandbrushco@protonmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thimbleandbrushco
- Facebook: facebook.com/thimbleandbrushco
- Other: www.tabc.design
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
