Today we’d like to introduce you to Bethany Powell.
Hi Bethany, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
After graduating college with an interior design degree, I started working in the field, but I quickly realized that this specific company was a bad fit for me. I ended up leaving after about a year and found a different interior design job that was more of a contractor position, and it was really difficult for me to get clients and earn the money I needed to live off of. At one point I thought it would be a good idea to start an Etsy shop because a lot of people had asked me to do something for them with my brush lettering. I needed the extra income, so I thought, “Why not?”
During this time, I worked many part-time jobs, ended up leaving the interior design world altogether, and I realized that this little Etsy shop was bringing me so much more joy than any other job had ever brought me. I decided to put all of my efforts into this little business and after a few years, I was able to go full-time! It’s grown from a small Etsy shop where I sold prints and addressed envelopes now to a full-time business where I design custom invitations and write on signage for weddings!
The amazing part of this journey is that I never planned to own my own business. It just sort of happened. Even when I went full-time I didn’t plan for that. I was a part-time nanny at the time as well, and they decided they needed someone full-time instead. I had to make a choice whether to stay with them or just go for it with my business, and I’m so thankful I decided to go for it!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The beginning was really difficult because I was working a lot and hardly making any money after I was so used to having a stable job. I love this part of my story though, because even though it was really difficult, I saw the Lord provide for me time and time again. To be completely candid, there were many instances where I wasn’t able to make my rent payments, but the Lord came through for me every single time.
I would get a client at the exact moment I needed it, someone would gift me money totally out of the blue, or I would get asked if I wanted to babysit.
Sometimes I was given the exact amount I needed. I can’t explain this season other than I totally believe that God was looking out for me. Things were still really difficult, but the way the Lord provided was worth every single bump in the road.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a calligrapher and stationer focused on telling couples’ unique love stories through custom wedding invitation suites and jaw-dropping seating charts. I love to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art with small details that reflect who they are as a couple. For example, I could illustrate their wedding venue to go on their envelope liner, design a crest with their initials and wedding flowers, illustrate their dogs to go on their details card, and design a wax seal with the state flower from where they met.
One of my main goals in this business is to provide a place for anything and everything the couple may need. I specialize in custom wedding invitations and seating charts, but if the couple wants 10 other signs, I’m happy to make them! If they need programs for their wedding ceremony as well and place cards for their head table, I’ll do them! I love that everything I end up providing for the wedding ends up cohesive and the couple doesn’t have to work with 5 different vendors.
I’m proud each and every time I finish a design because the couple is always incredibly excited. It’s the best feeling in the world when all this work goes into a design and the couple goes on and on about how they love everything about it. I love working with engaged couples so much, and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else!
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Community matters most to me. I believe that community is so incredibly important, and I know we’ve all seen and experienced that when we were quarantining in 2020. I work with mostly couples in the DFW area and that is because I like to meet them in person and grow relationships with them. It hasn’t been the same since COVID, but I’m slowly starting to meet in-person with people again, and I love it!
I also love the wedding community. All of the vendors I have worked with and met through wedding shows are so incredibly sweet and supportive.
Although DFW is a massive area, the wedding community seems so small and I love that! We all at least know about each other for the most part, even if we’ve never met in person. Building and growing relationships with my couples and the wedding community has definitely been one of the most rewarding areas of starting my business.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@bethanyslettershop.com
- Website: https://www.bethanyslettershop.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethanyslettershop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethanyslettershop
Image Credits
Maggshots Charity
Clayton Photography
