Interview by Mercedes Arnold

All photos provided courtesy of Kelsey Champagne-Smith

Maine Vibes Magazine: Can you state your name, and your pronouns, and introduce your business? 

Kelsey Champagne-Smith: My name is Kelsey Champagne-Smith, my pronouns are she/her/hers. My business started at the end of 2018. At that time, my husband and I had completed 4 IUI’s, we had gone through everything we could before having the IVF talk with our reproductive endocrinologist. We were getting ready to start IVF in January 2019, and at Christmas my sister suggested finding a hobby. I needed something that was going to get my mind off of IVF, as it isn't something you can really control. With IVF, you have to go through the motions and then hope for the best. 

After our talk I started my business, which at the time was called Farmhouse Fluid Art. I started doing a lot of paintings with resin coatings and other home decor-esque items like charcuterie boards. I continued with that business until August 2019, which was when we found out we were pregnant. During pregnancy, I didn't really do much with the business. I started back up after my little was born in 2020. That summer, my mom had a dream and called to tell me about it. She said, “Listen, I had this dream where I was wearing this necklace, and I went out to dinner with people and they loved it, I think you really need to make jewelry.” It was very superstitious of my mom, but who am I to judge, so I said let’s try it and started making jewelry in 2020. It started more as using the skills that I had refined with resin work. Towards February 2021 is when I started to refine my style for jewelry, which is when we changed the name. I went from Farmhouse Fluid Art to Acorn & Artisan. I make gold-filled, sterling silver, and brass jewerly, and I also sell shirts, too!

“I’m so thankful I can show her that…I'm giving 100% and I'm enjoying it and the balance that my life has. I want her to know that you can make your life the way you want it, you don't have to fit into a mold.”

MVM: Have you always been a maker and been drawn to be creative? 

KCS: Growing up, my mom encouraged me to try new things. I took different crafting classes with my cousin, we did a lot of cooking and drawing. My mom, herself is very creative. She owned a restaurant for 42 years, and she has always painted the windows [of the restaurant]. She's got that creative gene going on, and she always fostered it in me and it worked out really well. When I was breast pumping, I had a lot of downtime. Nobody warns you that when you're pumping, you're going to be stuck to a machine. You can kind of walk around and do things, but not a whole lot. That's when I started sketching more on my iPad and started making greeting cards and t-shirt designs. Our t-shirts are cheeky but they are so fun. For those that don’t know, I have a t-shirt that has birds on it with, ‘Tits, Boobies, and Peckers’. I have a Master’s in Biology, so for me, incorporating animals into anything I do is always fun. I teach life sciences and other courses now, so it’s nice to be able to incorporate some of my nerdy side into my business. 

MVM: You teach as well? 

KCS: Yes, I teach part-time. 

MVM: That’s very cool. I first came across your store on Instagram, scrolling through your account I saw the jewelry and your daughter, but there’s another side that you don’t get from social media. I know that’s usually the case, but I love that social media brought us together. When you start talking to people and forming connections, it’s so fun to get to know the person behind the business or Instagram account! How did you come up with the name Acorn & Artisan? 

KCS: My little, her name means Oaktree, so that's where Acorn comes in. I also really wanted something to go with Acorn including myself. My mom suggested Artisan and I thought that was perfect. Our logo is very much based on my daughter as well. She goes to sleep every night with a little brown bunny, like the one in our logo. She also has a blanket with moons and stars. When we transitioned from the first business name to Acorn & Artisan, I tried to incorporate her, especially because that's where we are now, we aren’t in the ‘if and when’ stage of life. We were very fortunate with lucky embryo #3, so we wanted to make sure that we included her in everything.

MVM: What a great tribute to your daughter. Would you be comfortable talking about the role your business played while you were going through IVF? Who supported you during the process? 

“It doesn't matter what role you're playing in that situation, it's hard.”

KCS: Yes, throughout the IVF process I've been a very open book. IVF is one of those things that we don't talk much about as a society, but one in eight* couples face infertility, and one in four* women go through miscarriages. It’s one of those things that made more sense to have an open dialogue with the people around me. 

When we started, we worked with Boston IVF in Portland, we had been trying to get pregnant since 2017 and it wasn't happening. By October/November we had some health concerns with my husband, and this is when we were connected with Boston IVF. We had a conversation about what was going on, why could we not get pregnant? We started doing IUIs and ended with a total of four, none of them worked. We were going through the numbers and they were not where we wanted so we tried some different medications for both my husband and me to see if that would work and it didn’t. 

We then started the IVF process. Our first embryo, unfortunately, ended in an early loss, our second embryo didn't stick, and then we had to go through a couple of other steps to figure out what was going on. Finally, in August of 2019, we got Eila. 

We were fortunate that my husband's insurance covered part of the IVF cycle, which I know is not always the case. Medications for IVF even through insurance are astronomical. You’re always looking at this huge price tag when you go through this, it’s shocking. Right now in Maine, there is a bill going through, which is further now than it's ever been before, to get insurance companies/Maine workplaces to cover infertility and artificial insemination.* 

Throughout this process, my parents were integral, they were there for everything they could be. My mom came to my eight-week ultrasound with me because my husband couldn't, she was incredibly supportive. I was very lucky to have them. 

MVM: Congratulations on Eila! From reading and hearing others speak about the IVF process, it sounds like a lot to go through. 

KCS: It’s emotionally, mentally, and physically taxing, for not only the person who's doing the shots but for their partner too. It doesn't matter what role you're playing in that situation, it's hard. The uncertainty of the situation, even with IVF, we had about a 60% chance of getting pregnant, that’s really hard to face. Without IVF, our chance was less than 1%. 

Growing up, I had this idea of when I wanted to get pregnant, it'll just happen, and then it didn't, and it didn't. I have a tendency of throwing myself into creating to get some of that stress off my plate and out of my head. I was trying to put something good out there to make myself feel a little better, but hopefully, bring a little sunshine to somebody else's world too. During pregnancy, I didn't do as much creating. I did a lot of watercolor sketching to do something with my hands. After she was first born, I did things that I could do on the couch while she was sleeping. Now she's two and I am very fortunate to have a studio space in my house. On the weekends, my husband will take her and go grocery shopping or they'll go do a daddy-daughter day. I go upstairs and create.

MVM: I’ve seen your reels where your daughter is on your lap and help you with work. 

KCS: There's no way she can't be, especially because I'm home with her. In the middle of the day, I'll decide I need to make some marketing materials and she wants to be involved, and we do it together. 

MVM: She's adorable! How does it feel to have your own business and be able to show her things you’ve created? 

KCS: She has a big personality and she is so tiny, it’s absolutely delightful to see her grow. During the pandemic, I was able to stay home with her and watch her grow, it was truly a blessing. She loves accessories and every time I go to the booths to restock, you'll find my child looking at all the earrings and picking some out. 

It’s really nice to be able to show her that mommy made this. Living in a rural area, it's really hard to get connected and get yourself out there. I’m so thankful I can show her that, no matter what I'm doing, I'm giving 100% and I'm enjoying it and the balance that my life has. I want her to know that you can make your life the way you want it, you don't have to fit into a mold. 

MVM: That's so amazing that you're able to do that for her and for you, and you have a supportive family. What does being a woman-owned business mean to you? You said your mom owned a restaurant? 

KCS: Yeah, my mom’s name is Rita. Her restaurant was Rogers Coney Island in Massachusetts, she sold it maybe two years ago, and has been retired for a very short period of time. Growing up though, the restaurant was a huge part of my life. My mom hustled, she started at that restaurant when she was 17 and bought it when she was in her twenties. She eventually moved it down the street and made it two or three times the size it was and poured her heart and soul into that place. My mom was a huge role model of mine. My dad had a nine-to-five job, so he was there in the morning and at dinner. But my mom really busted her butt and I could see growing up where there were things she wasn't able to always do. If someone called out at the restaurant, she'd have to deal with that and hit timeout at home. 

I think she made sacrifices, and as a mom and small business owner, I can see where you do make sacrifices. They don't all look the same, but you have to pick and choose where you're going to invest your time so you get the things that you need and the things that you want. With my mom, I also saw how much kindness she poured out to people, her customers, and her workers. Having that really loving atmosphere and trying to make the space her own definitely influenced how I run my business now. When people meet me in person, I want them to feel very comfortable and welcome because I want them to feel like they're a part of our process. 

MVM: Your mom sounds amazing and you clearly have that fire inside of you as well! You sell boho-inspired jewelry and apparel, you create these amazing and hilariously awesome shirts. Can you tell me more about your process and where you pull inspiration from for your products?  

KCS: The apparel, oftentimes people will come up to me at shows and give me suggestions on what they want to see on shirts. I find reference photos and work out the idea. I think about how can I make the design or if I have an idea, I workshop it on my Instagram stories. I always send them to my mom and husband first and get their opinion. I use Procreate to draw out my designs and print most of the shirts in-house. 

With my jewelry, my sister is a huge influencer in the direction I go in. She loves bold pieces, as do I. Although I gravitate towards chunky, big, statement pieces, she loves bold, modern designs. I talk with her a lot about what pieces she is loving at the moment and work off of that feedback. I would have never thought to make ear wires that thread through your lobes but my sister loves them so I started making them. They’re now my go-to for my second set of earrings. 

So it’s playing through that and aesthetic-wise, it's what I wear and what my sister wears. My next collection is going to be available on my website on June 4th. It’s called glitter & gold and is filled with gold-filled and sterling silver earrings that are sleek designs, hypoallergenic, waterproof, and oh so fun. 

MVM: How long does it take you to come up with a concept, make it, and get it online?

KCS: It feels like forever. With shirts, if I have an idea, it might take me a couple of weeks to workshop it to the point where I really like it or I’m confident in the way that it will look on a shirt. From there, it needs to be printed onto a shirt, so there might be some lag time where I'm finding the perfect color and style of shirt. After that, we have product photography, marketing, and making sure our inventory is up to date. Going from the inception of an idea to completion could take months.

For jewelry, I feel like I always have a million ideas rolling around in my head. I have to put blinders on when I go into making and focus on exactly what I need to work on. Sometimes I draw out my designs in Procreate and figure out exactly how many I need to make, and sometimes I wing it and go with whatever vibe I'm feeling. Once I get all the pieces cut out of the material I'm working with, they still need to be polished, tumbled, and assembled. The same goes for our suncatchers, we make them out of resin and put gemstones and dried florals in. It all takes time, production could take anywhere from one to two weeks start to finish. 

MVM: Thank you for sharing! A lot of people might not understand exactly how long the creative process is and that you’re making all of these products by hand. Then there’s the business side of it.  

KCS: We have our website, craft fairs, a booth in Waterville at Old Soul Collective, a booth in Freeport at Freeport Market, and we have a third booth that opened in April in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire at Wild Moon Creative. So on top of my website inventory, I'm creating other pieces for these booths, and I’m oftentimes not creating in bulk. If you see one pair of earrings, that's usually the only one like that.

MVM: Congratulations on the third booth, that’s exciting!

KCS: Thank you! There is so much that goes into my business. We don't talk about the amount of time it takes to make marketing materials, whether it's taking pictures of all of our items, the packaging for every item, accounting, etc.

MVM: There is so much that goes into it, truly! How do you feel about your business now versus when you first started? What do you wish you knew back then?

KSC: When I first started, I didn’t have a great sense of direction. I knew I wanted to do something creative, but I didn't have a clear sense of what that meant to me. Now, I have goals, but I'm not as rigid and more go with the flow. I really love being at craft fairs and markets, I love interacting with people. Starting out, one of the biggest things for a small business should be identifying who your ideal client is. That's something I struggled with at the beginning. Now, even since August of 2021, things are so different for us. In August, we went into the first booth, in October, we went into the second booth. 

Also, if you live in a rural area, don't let that stop you. You can make connections with other makers throughout the state. Believing in yourself is really powerful too. 

MVM: That’s great advice! It is so important to believe in yourself! Do you want to share the love and give a shout-out to another woman-owned business? 

KCS: I could give you a million! I have to mention Melissa from Freeport Market Maine.  She is a powerhouse unto herself, she makes amazing bags, and she is filled with so much love and light. The vendors who are there, she takes care of everybody and is looking out for all of us. She is breathing so much life into that space. 

There are also so many people over at Old Soul Collective, so many beautiful souls who are amazing at what they do and put so much love out there and are so open to talking about how they make things and wanting to collaborate, it's amazing. You don't find that everywhere. 

MVM: Do you think that's part of being in Maine and having somewhat of a smaller community? 

KCS: I do think it is. Being in a small state, you do have to remind yourself that your competition isn't the other people out there, it's yourself. You’re trying to better yourself and make your products the best they can be for your customers. So why not pump up each other? 

MVM: When supporting others, do you feel that you get that support in return and feel a connection with others? 

KCS: There are so many people who I can reach out to for questions. There is such a positive flow of energy, everybody is supporting each other, lifting each other up, and trying to help each other succeed in our small businesses, but also as individuals. I feel like it is unique to the community that I’ve built in these places, the markets, and booths I have. It’s something that, as a customer, at Old Soul Collective or Freeport Market, you might not grasp when you walk in. You may not realize that those two vendors are now friends because they figured out they live near each other, or that we are helping each other out with our booths. 

MVM: Having a community seems crucial to feel supported as a small business owner. Is there anything else that you want to share about yourself or your business?

KCS: We're entering the spring-summer season, are getting new shirt designs ready to go, and putting the finishing touches on our June 4th (summer collection) launch. We are going to be at Thompson’s Point Makers Market on May 8th (Mother’s Day) and will be back there in June for another event. We've got several things throughout Maine this summer and fall, so come find us, say hi to us! We have gifties for everyone who visits us at fairs! I love meeting new people and hearing how you enjoy our products. 

MVM: Kelsey, I am so excited for you and your booths and upcoming shows. Congrats again on booth #3 and thank you so much for sharing your life and business journey with us. I appreciate your vulnerability and willingness to share your story! 

*ME LD1539 was signed and enacted on 04/25/2022. To find out more about this bill, see the link below.
https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=1539&snum=130

Links

Old Soul Collective: oldsoulcollectiveshop.com

Freeport Market: freeportmarket.me

Thompson’s Point Makers Market: Thompson's Point Makers Market

Wild Moon Creative: wildmooncreativenh.com

Thank you Kelsey Champagne-Smith of Acorn & Artisan, for sharing your story with others and being a light in this world, sharing your beautiful gifts and jewelry with us!

Web: acornandartisan.myshopify.com

Instagram: @acornandartisan