A Clothing Designer Who Runs Her Own Stores~ Janel of Bird and Bean
Janel Anderson, owner of @birdandbeanshop just opened her second store in Oakland. Janel not only runs a store in Berkeley, but is also a makes her own line of clothing. Wow! How does she do it all? Read more in our conversation with her ….
SKUE: Hi Janel thank you for joining us! First lets start with a question that makers often wonder about. How do you decide what to bring into your store?
JANEL: Hi! Thanks so much for having me! For me, the buying process is pretty strategic and mapped out in advance. But, I also need to have an immediate and excited reaction to each item. I am pretty selective and I know right away if I love something or not. I trust my gut and my eye. This has served us well so far. When a customer stops in their tracks to ooh and aah over something, I feel excited that I’ve made a good choice. I also have two kids under 5, so I really know what kids (and their adults) want. They definitely inspire my buying each season. I hope to use the same gut-trusting formula as I start to buy for our women’s location, too!
SKUE: That’s great we all need to be reminded to trust our gut! Next Q: We love that you’re also a maker. How do you get ideas for new products?
JANEL: Being in the position of being both a store owner and product designer has definitely helped. It’s invaluable that I get to listen to our customer’s (both the kids and adults!) reactions to my designs in real time and get immediate feedback on what they love or how I can make it better. I take it all in and appreciate every word. And, again…being a mom has elevated me as a designer. I know what I wanted/needed for my own babies and the collections have evolved over the years to reflect that.
SKUE: 👍 real time feedback is a cool advantage while juggling two roles. Which brings to the next Q: What is one new habit in the past 5 years that’s had a significant impact on your business?
JANEL: Oh, so many! It’s hard to choose just one. In these last 5 years, I really have transformed the way that I do business, mostly out of necessity. In that time, I became a very busy mom, opened the shops, and changed a lot about how I manage the wholesale side of the business. Some helpful habits for me are having the ability to adapt to the changes in how others want to do business (online/digital everything! — yay, SKUE!) being very strict about time/money management and delegating tasks. Years ago, when I had loads of time, I willingly did everything myself (often into the wee hours of the morning!) Now, I must have trust in my employees to do some things that I can’t. This helps me focus on what I love and do well.
SKUE: That’s an inspiring thought for all small business owners. 🙏 . One last (bonus) question: What is one thing you wish makers would make more of?
JANEL: This is a hard question. There really are so many fun and beautiful brands to choose from and such creativity flowing around. But, I guess right now I am seeing less cohesive collections and more of the same trendy motifs. I am less inclined to bring something in that feels more trendy and less like the maker’s vision/inspiration. You can see when a collection is telling a story instead of just jumping on a bandwagon. I also totally appreciate that there are on-trend color palettes/motifs and I think it’s ok to incorporate those and be inspired while still staying true to your brand aesthetic.
SKUE: This point is helpful for makers to be conscious of while building a collection. Thanks so much Janel, for all your great insights! We’ll share them with our maker community. And best wishes for your new store!
JANEL: Thank you so much and thanks again for having me! It was fun :)
Every week we do live interviews on Instagram @skue.co with our makers & buyers before featuring them here. Interested in joining our wholesale collective? Apply at skue.co/merchants
