Today we’d like to introduce you to Sunshine Bailey.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sunshine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started making jewelry in high school as a way to be different and unique. I didn’t like what I found in Claire’s and being a girl, I was always competing with someone who wore the same thing. Creating my own meant there was NO WAY they were wearing my exact outfit.
Then, as a way to cope with PTSD and severe trauma I suffered while serving time in Iraq, I made jewelry as a way to ground myself and meditate. My military training of research spilled into my hobby as I began to research and read about everything I made. I liked waist beads but where did they come from and why would one wear them? I loved working with beads and sea glass but what do the colors stand for? What energy did they emit? How could this benefit my healing? I love shells. Why am I drawn to this one versus that one? I literally researched everything and I feel it made me feel better about what I was putting on my body. If you understand stones and colors, you can pretty much tell my mood by what colors I choose to bless my body with that day. This therapy became a hobby then just my way of happiness and freedom. I didn’t just buy something from a store and resell it; instead, I crafted and re-crafted. That’s dope to me!
One day, someone asked “yo, where did you buy those?” when referring to my denim earrings I just up-cycled and it triggered the question “you’d BUY these??? I need to start a store!” Well, it wasn’t that immediate but pretty close. I at first just made them and sold them at little parties but then social media took over and I jumped on the Instagram bandwagon and boom! A larger audience was at my fingertips!
So then came the name. Unicorns are my favorite animal and they represent me. They are unique, hard to come by and freaking magical!! Guess what? So is my jewelry so it made sense to name MY work after me right? Thus “Unicorn” came in. I see my jewelry as a treat, candy, something sweet to own. Boom! Unicorn Candy Boutique! So there you have it!!
I am my own advertisement as I wear my line when modeling and on the runway (’cause yeah, I am also a signed model for Brown Agency). When I am sent for jobs, I always wear my jewelry so I can say “I make these, here’s my store link” when the producer or photographer inquire about them. I can’t help it! I am in love with my work. If your’re not proud of your craft, why should anyone else be? That’s how I look at it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Since this is my therapy and I do it whether I am making sales or not, it has been a relatively super smooth road. I have some awesome clients who come back for more Candy which brings my soul absolute joy!!!! The only “setbacks” I can think of is I used to pretty much give away my hard earned work for the sake of not offending anyone’s pockets. I would work on my crafts for hours and have a set price which was beyond reasonable when compared with comparable items on Etsy and EBay but would slice them in half or more when someone would ask “what’s the least you’d accept”. I pretty much discounted myself thus losing out on money. It took my partner having a sit down with me about 10 times before I finally “got it”. Another struggle was finding the medium I wanted to use. I couldn’t decide between beads, recycled fabrics or painting wooden cutouts. I decided to do them all which has been great because I have an array different types of jewelry that meets the desires of many while not stifling my creative juices.
Overall though, this has been a beautiful form of emotional healing and an even better journey! I have met people from all over because of my work! I have clients as far as Jamaica and Australia and as close as Texas and New York!!!
Please tell us about Unicorn Candy Boutique.
I’m literally the “Jane of all Trades”. I’m certified and specialize in reiki, meditation, yoga, life coaching,and tarot reading to name a few but in DFW, I am mostly known for my jewelry and modeling. Unicorn Candy Boutique, a minority veteran owned company, is my primary business which focuses on unique pieces of jewelry infused or designed with gems, stones and crystals that promote wellness and healing. What sets me apart is I do not just create a piece of jewelry and hand it over. Instead, I explain why I chose the colors I chose as well has explain the history of the jewelry’s origin. Being able to educate a person while adorning their body is what I am most proud of.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over, I would have hired someone to create and manage my website which I have had for about two years but never use. It takes a lot of time and as a mommy of 4, I don’t have much of that. I also would start going to markets and getting more involved with the community sooner so my brand would have been known earlier than my start up year of 2003.
Pricing:
- All of my already made jewelry is priced super low and can be found on my page.
- All waist beads are $7/strand plus shipping with an additional 10 cents for every inch over 33 but have to be ordered directly through me as they are custom.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.webuyblack.com/unicorncandyboutique.com
- Email: sunshine@sunshinebaileyllc.com
- Instagram: thesunshinebailey
Image Credit:
The following are a list of those either in the pics provided or ones who took the picture. They are not in any particular order: Photographer Robert, Selima, Edwanna, Pam, Celicia, Jenny, Whitney, Jamika, Noelle and Aziza.
