Today we’d like to introduce you to Corrie Rutledge.
Corrie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I think I have been making jewelry and studying crystals since before I could walk. When some children would have their parents read fairy tails I had a Scrooge McDuck Geology encyclopedia that I had them read me cover to cover over and over until its cover fell off. Instead of asking for the newest Barbie dream house, I would ask for DIY and instructional books on crafting and jewelry making.
I was originally an art major with a concentration in graphic design from McNeese State University in Southwest Louisiana. My ad design professor told me that my style was not made for my small country town. I would be Better suited to move to a big city like Houston or Dallas. Being young, naive and a lotta bit stubborn, I stayed put, was unable to find the perfect job and took a job as a dental assistant instead.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While I awaited that perfect artistic job-my portfolio of work was sitting at home “safely” tucked under my bed-or so I thought. Tragedy struck my hometown in the form of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Luckily my family made it out unharmed except for 1 tree branch through my room’s ceiling causing extensive flooding that destroyed my artist portfolio-my body of work I had poured blood sweat and tears into for my 4 years of college: an artist’s resume. Without it, I could see no reason for any job to hire me blindly. Taking this as a sign from the universe telling me this wasn’t the right path for me at this time, I returned to school to pursue nursing. I had, after all, been enjoying the patient care at the dental office and nurses were always needed and jobs readily available. It was in nursing school that I was reintroduced to my future husband (we had gone to high school together and he was also pursuing medical studies.) Fast forward 3 years – I graduated nursing, moved to New Orleans, got a job as a geriatric psychiatric nurse and got married to my best friend. It seemed I had found my place or so I thought. My husband’s job moved us across the state to Shreveport and then again a few years in 2016 to Dallas, Tx. I took a job working part time in psychiatry at Parkland Hospital.
It was at this point I started making jewelry again. I had never REALLY stopped but I finally had enough free time to start thinking about doing it as a side gig.
The name, Pop & Locket came to me in a dream state. “POP & LOCKET!” I exclaimed, violently sitting up In bed and shaking my husband awake at 4 am. “You know Like the song only with a necklace locket instead of lock it! That will be the name of my shop.”
I opened my online Etsy shop the next morning and began combing through literature on Search engine optimization, keyword tagging and how to write a winning listing, get noticed and snag 5 star reviews to make sure my shop stood out from the masses of other talented designers around the world (much less just here in Texas).
Sales were understandably slow in the beginning. There are many talented jewelry creators on Etsy alone much less all of the other sales platforms available across the Internet. I needed to work on local sales while I build my brand. What a daunting task for a quiet introvert like myself! I had become accustomed to and could make sense of the jumbled mess of 27 different half finished ideas, emotions and free floating random song lyrics and movie quotes that were in my head at any given time. They made sense to ME. How can I make my head – my mess – make sense to everyone else? Selling myself was never my strong suit. I prefer to let my work speak for itself. Beauty is, after all, in the eye of its beholder. I tried a local farmers market without a bite. Luckily I stumbled across the wonderful group of community artists of Deep Ellum Community Association who host Deep Ellum Outdoor Market. I had been able to learn and grow at my own pace as a creator and as a business woman. It took me 4 years of hard work with Pop & Locket both online and at local markets but in 2020 I was finally able to retire from nursing after 10 years to pursue my business full time.
I currently wear all the hats: president, CEO, designer, advertising, buyer, creator, marketing director, director of photography, public relations, business manager, content creator, social media management, model, market coordination and probably 10-15 other hats I forgot about. My closet is full of hats but my heart is full of passion for what I do. I’ve never shied away from a challenge. I wake up everyday with a smile on my face and a new idea to try, probably fail at, try again and eventually perfect.
Being of the introverted and empathic nature has not been easy owning my business – being profoundly affected by my surrounding energies. I have had to learn to say ‘no’ and set comfortable boundaries for myself and my schedule. I have to leave enough time and space to recharge my battery with self care and healthy coping mechanisms.
Quarantine has been a blessing in disguise. It forced to to take a step back from work to focus on my own health and wellbeing. Starting my day with some meditation or a walk has become a part of my daily routine even when my mind feels like it’s on fire from stress, schedule crunches and juggling too much. It’s important to take a moment to regroup and recenter. Haphazardly shoving 19 hats on at the same time doesn’t do anyone any good- it just makes you look like a crazed hat enthusiast. I like to make myself a to do lists and prioritize what needs to be done vs what is just fluffy extras.
That being said- I could not do any of this without the loving support of my husband, Whit, who supports my dream, keeps me grounded and balanced, cheers me up when I’m feeling discouraged, goes crystal shopping with me, ignores the amount of online shopping I do, makes me dinner after a long market weekend, mails off my orders, helps with my market heavy lifting and so so much more. I’d also like to thank my cat, Lando Clawrissian, who keeps my feet warm while I work, thinks my crystals are kibble and plays a staring role in many of my IG and TikTok videos.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work is based on nature, space, magic, lore, anything spiritual or meaningful to the sou with just a sprinkling of childish vulgarity to make you grin or make other people squirm. Some of my most popular creations being my space themed pieces, zodiac crystals collection and my vulgar sunnies.
I work with 100% recycled packaging. I hand cut and each jewelry card myself and work to decrease waste every step of the way. Unapologetically raw and unrefined street-chic. All pieces are handmade by me so each piece is truly unique. You won’t find in the box or cookie cutter at Pop & Locket.
I source my supplies by supporting other local small businesses in Dallas and across the state of Texas.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I can’t think of a downside to living in Dallas, Tx-Specifically Old East Dallas and Deep Ellum. To me, Deep Ellum has Big City vibes with a small town community feel. Deep Ellum specifically reminds me of New Orleans -a melting pot of cultures, people, beliefs, cuisines, dripping in raw unpolished artistic swagger with a booming nightlife scene.
Pricing:
- Gifts starting at $5
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: Popandlocket.Etsy.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/popnlocket
- Facebook: Facebook.com/popandlocket
Image Credits
Pop & Locket
