Christine White is the owner and co-founder of Beads, Inc. in Myers Park. She stopped by recently to tell us about her latest venture, ChristineWhiteStyle.com. Read on for all the details on her brand, as well as what’s next for the local jewelry expert.
Tell us about ChristineWhiteStyle.com – when did it launch and what was the idea behind it?
ChristineWhiteStyle.com launched January 27 in conjunction with our annual trip to Tucson, Arizona for the largest Gem, Mineral and Jewelry show in the US. The mission behind the brand is to empower people with the knowledge they need to create the jewelry they love – wherever they are. Using content focused around professionally-produced YouTube Tutorials, I’m hoping to inspire a base of people who may not already be familiar with the jewelry making industry.
What made you want to start a personal brand?
I’ve owned Beads, Inc. for 16 years. I’ve always been intrigued by the media side of the craft and DIY world. I would love to take my message that jewelry-making can be very fashion-forward to a larger audience, and this brand is the first step. Ultimately, I’d love to expand to books, kits and more products.
How does the brand tie into Beads, Inc.?
My video tutorials are filmed at Beads, Inc. and highlight products we sell and materials that are popular and relevant for us in the store. I want whatever I do to be useful to my customers at Beads, Inc. They are always in the forefront of my mind. This project brings a unique spin because it’s also a glimpse at my personal life, my style, and my jewelry collection. I am also trying to be mindful of trends that will translate to many parts of the country and hold up with time. I want the brands to be able to function independent of one another but also complement each other
well.
Tell us about the YouTube tutorials – what made you want to add video? What is your process for making a video?
The YouTube tutorials were my first thought. I look at social media and YouTube in particular as the future of how people will share ideas and information. With Beads, Inc. and throughout my career, I have always put an emphasis on teaching people skills in a free and accessible way. With the help of Embolden Creative, the video production company I’ve enlisted to help me on this project, we film several videos in one day. Next, they edit over the course of several weeks, and I release the videos one at a time and promote them through my personal brand.
Is anyone helping you run the brand? How do you fit it into your day to day work?
I cannot say enough about Michelle Boudin and Dan Robbins of Embolden Creative and Cheale Villa of Visual Caffeine who have helped me bring this project to life! From there, I run the day to day creative side of it and make sure that there is continuous content that speaks to my customers and audience. This has given me a new appreciation for bloggers, writers, vloggers and YouTubers. Running a personal brand along side my retail store has been a big new adventure.
How do you see the new brand evolving? Any big dreams/goals for it?
It’s already been really fun to see my existing customers follow along. I am also getting messages from people in states such as Georgia and Texas about how they feel inspired to make jewelry and that they are excited for the next video to be released. My goal is to build up a healthy viewership and following and go from there. I would love to partner with national brands and manufacturers in the DIY world, but it will take time and hard work.
Anything else we should know?
I am passionate about jewelry making, and I’m on a mission to show people that it’s a cool hobby and
not something that’s just for children. You could call it a jewelry making revolution of sorts. I want to
speak to millennials and stylish women who may not currently have a (well represented) outlet in this industry.
