Jemma Singh has said her customers have been calling from as far away as Regions One and Ten, and when she created her crochet business, Jem’s Crafty Designs, last September, she had no idea her business would have grown as quickly within a year.
Jemma said she learnt to do crochet as a teenager, while watching her mother make chairbacks and other hand-crafted items. She said she caught on quickly over the years, and made it a hobby; but with the advent of Youtube and social media, she was able to expand her knowledge and ideas.
Mental health
Jemma said she has a variety of customers, including many persons from Region One who admire her handiwork. She also has customers in Georgetown and Region 10 at Linden; and, for deliveries, her husband would drive to the capital and make arrangements for her products to reach such persons.Hailing from Corriverton in East Berbice, Jemma noted that the idea for converting the hobby into a business venture came from her adopted daughter.
“I made a top for my adopted daughter and she said, ‘Mommy, this looks nice’, and that I should create a business page because she liked the top,” Jemma has said. So, last September, Jemma took time off from her daily rounds about the house and created her own Facebook page, Jem’s Crafty Designs. She said it was like a dream, because she began receiving calls from customers far and wide. Her husband, who does the deliveries, has been in full support of the venture, she added, and her daughter has also been the face of her products, since she helps to advertise them by modelling the crafty pieces.
But while she gains an income from the venture, it also helps her to deal with her mental health. Jemma explained that, since her teenage years, she suffered from depression, but she did not understand that it was depression. She elaborated that she would fall into a low-esteem mode, and when she has free time, her mind would sink into a depressed feeling.
The mother of two noted that she even sought treatment from a doctor, and was given treatment for some six months to counter the issue. Then came Jem’s Crafty Designs.
She said the venture has been able to help her through the mental health issue, and she noted that, these days, the demand for her work is so much that she hardly has any free time for herself.
“This business really helped me, because now I have so much to do and I don’t have to think about anything that would affect my mind,” she said.
In addition, Jemma said, she was offered an opportunity to teach the art at a tertiary institution in Berbice, but she is unable to do so, since her business is now growing and she also has to take care of her children. She said she plans to also open a central location in Berbice, so that her customers can visit the business place to view her creations.
Jemma said her plans also include to source a wider variety of yarns for her crafts, since the demand for her items is growing. At the moment, she has a large number of orders for Christmas, and she noted that she has found a niche in children’s items. She explained that many persons have ordered items for their babies, including little hats, tops and baby boots. There are also themed items, and one such creation was her Bee-themed baby creation for a toddler. She said such items are easier to make, and she can also complete them in a short time.
Jemma has said her heart is usually filled with delight when her customers post photos of themselves or their babies in her hand-knitted items. She said it also warms her heart when she considers the fact that she converted a hobby into a business. She said as Christmas Day beckons, she is likely to be busier than usual, and according to her, she is more thankful than ever to The Almighty for providing her with such a talent.
Persons interested in sourcing Jemma’s products can contact her on 645-9177, or visit her Facebook page at Jem’s Crafty Designs.
