Welcome Alicia!!
Tell us about You!
My name is Alicia Manzano. I was born & raised in the South West. After high school I joined the US Navy. Met my husband. And we moved to his home state. Was born a city girl but found to be a country gal at heart! We have two daughters. Iris who is 5, Anabelle our 7 month old {big} baby. I first learned to sew right after we got married. We bought our first machine with dreams of sewing our own curtains. Several years later we have yet to accomplish that! ;)
Zeeuh's name was created by our oldest daughter. When she was first learning to talk before age 2, she'd talk a lot of jibberish and make up her own words. There was one phrase she'd use repeatedly, "Zeeuh-huh!" You'd find her saying this when she was excited or upset. Mostly when she was arguing with attitude. She'd stomp her foot on the floor and exclaim "Uh-Zeeuh-Huh!" She obviously grew out of it and stopped saying it. But of course her mommy and daddy still do! ;) Zeeuh was birthed on our apartment dining table. At the time we were a family of 3 living in a 600 sq ft space. I was staying at home with Iris and we were pinching our money to get out of debt. One day my husband said to me "You should open a store online." He researched it and even got it all set up for me! I have to tell you, with out his encouragement I probably would have never had the courage to embark on this new journey. It's one of those moments where I have to admit, "He was right!"
I have always adored making aprons! This girl LOVES to bake! Growing up, my mom would always bake TONS of goodies during the Holidays. She would give them to neighbors, family members, teachers, co workers! So every year I'd help her! I loved it! And now that I have my own place, my own family, we keep that tradition. So I have a HUGE collection of aprons. Mostly vintage ones. Those are what inspires me when designing our Patricia Pleat Aprons. When I have a Holiday Market here in the Houston, TX area it's so much fun to see women get excited over an apron. I'm not the only one who adores baking for the Holidays!
What is the hardest part of owning your own online shop?
Hardest part lately is balance between the family and the shop! Our newest daughter has required a lot more time and attention than we did when our first was at this age. So I was unprepared. But as time has been going on we've been adjusting and tweaking some things. Like our scheduled, how he do things, and what products we offer. It's life. you gotta roll with the punches!
First, you're not alone! And don't feel you have to do it alone! I have to tell you I could have not started or keep going if it wasn't for my husband. He doesn't have the first clue about selling on line. But he believes in me! Then, I set out and found a community of online stores and surround myself with their words of wisdom. Its incredible! So that bring me to a second tip. It's your business, so be you! Be true to what you want to do, but don't turn down advice. Maybe someones advice may not work for you at one point but at another time it may be beneficial.
Wow! I learned so much more about you! Thank you so much Alicia for visiting us today to share your passion for life in the crafty world! You can find and follow Alicia at her SHOP | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM She loves to chat, so make sure to stop by and tell her "Hello" and give her some crafting love!
♥Kelly
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