Meet Jessica MCPHERSON | Owner and Creative Director – Twin Stitchez Boutique LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica MCPHERSON and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
My favorite quote is from German Psychiatrist Frederick S. Perls:

I do my thing, and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful.

Everyone needs to have their own identity and I find that we often loose ourselves trying to live up to everyone else’s expectations. I don’t believe that anyone can achieve genuine happiness while trying to be who we think everyone else needs us to be. Be yourself and be happy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Twin Stitchez Boutique is all about flexibility and quality. When my kids were younger, I knew two things: 1) once all 4 kiddos were in school, I would want to work and 2) once our kids are grown and off living their own lives, my husband and I don’t want to be tied down to any one place. Starting my business is my contribution towards setting the foundation for mine and my husband’s future. Not only do I love my work because it doesn’t feel like “work”, but it’s something that I can do from almost anywhere in the world.

I’ve worked retail, I’ve worked in call centers, I’ve worked in other office settings. None of those settings compare to collaborating with my customers and giving them products they fall in love with.
Sure, there are agonizing moments and there are days that nothing seems to go right – almost anyone who makes handmade products has those days! But, on the days that flow beautifully and things work out the way they are supposed to, it’s an amazing feeling.  It’s also incredibly rewarding having customers that are thrilled with having an option to purchase products that aren’t mass produced. I could send my designs off to a manufacturer and possibly double or triple my revenue, but that’s not what I’m about.  I’m about quality and as a consumer myself, I would get so frustrated buying backpacks for my kids, cosmetic bags, or purses for myself and having it fall apart or break because the focus during production was quantity over quality.  One of my favorite ways to think of selling handmade products is the following quote “When buying handmade, you’re buying more than just an object. You’re buying countless hours of failures and experimentation. You’re buying moments of frustration and moments of pure joy. You never just receive a “thing”.  You’re buying a piece of a heart, part of a soul, and a moment of someone’s life.” I’ve yet to be able to identify who the quote originated from, but to me, it describes the handmade business perfectly.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a someone visiting me, I would probably take them to Red Rocks for a show or to Estes Park to take a tour of the Stanley Hotel. Maybe take a trip to the mountains to take in the beautiful scenery and enjoy a picnic.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Mom and husband have been huge supporters and influencers of my business. In 2012, my husband and I had our second daughter. At this same time, my husband was in the process of making a career change requiring him to work on the road as he transitioned into becoming an over-the-road truck driver. After coming to the realization that daycare for our 2 daughters was going to be equivalent to my salary, we made the decision for me to leave my job and stay at home with our 2 daughters – now 3 daughters and one amazing boy. As a lot of Mom’s and Dad’s out there know, being a stay-at-home parent comes with its own challenges. While rewarding in several ways, there are times when it is simply draining and mentally exhausting. Luckily for me, I have an amazing Mom who took me under her wing and made me an offer I simply couldn’t refuse. She asked me to come to her house with my kiddos every Monday so that I could come out and (as she put it) “play”, while she watched my kids – this was my mom’s way of ensuring that at least once a week, I had some time to myself. What this meant for me was that while I was at her house, she put me in her craft room, closed the door, and would say “Have fun, I’ll see you at lunch!” It was during this time that my mom taught me how to machine embroider. I fell in love with the process so much that in 2018, Twin Stitchez Boutique was born.  I started out with mostly cosmetic bags and embroidered home décor. Now, I have a contract with author Sarah J. Maas to produce merchandise representing two of her book series, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Throne of Glass and along with this, I continue to make handmade purses, cosmetic bags, and home décor.  My best-selling product would be my snarky towels – I know it sounds silly, but they really are a hit! Everyone needs a little humor in their day, right?

Along with my mom, I never would have had the opportunity to launch my business and continue to pursue it without my husband’s support. Starting a business is incredibly time consuming and can be very slow to begin earning a profit. He has been incredibly patient and generous with the time it is taking for this to go from a hobby to a business.

Website: www.twinstitchezboutique.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twinstitchezboutique

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083130907346