Year In Review, 2021

Oh what a year it's been!

It's been a big year for Stefanie Wolf Designs, perhaps the biggest yet. I quietly spent the first half of 2021 plotting for our big move to Oak Bluffs, but we weren't certain that it was going to happen until April 30th so we couldn't share the news or even begin preparations until the last minute. Then, we moved on May 6th and opened our doors on May 20th. Talk about a whirlwind! And all during a pandemic.

 

Here are a few of our most memorable moments from 2021:

1. My small business obtained a business loan and purchased a new storefront on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs. This was a 7 month process and a roller coaster of a ride. While the bidding, financing, legal and purchase processes may have taken 7 months, it feels like my whole life was helping me prepare for this giant step with my small business.

 

2. We renovated the new space! We refinished the hardwood floors, reconfigured the existing shelving, painted all of the woodwork and interior walls and gave the exterior a fresh color scheme. We also rebuilt the planters out front and filled them with beautiful flowering plants. We commissioned a new sign and hung it.

 

 

 

 

Here is my very elementary sketch of the new sign. I was trying to figure out what size brackets we needed.

3. We moved every single bead, relocating our studio from the 850 sq ft space we had occupied for 6 years in Edgartown to our new 2,000 sq ft space in Oak Bluffs.

 

 

4. We expanded our team! Several local high school and college students joined us this summer to help us run the store for our first season in our new location. Later in the year we hired our first year round retail associate because we are committed to being open year round for the community! We can't wait to see where 2022 takes us.

6. I’m a business buff, a data dork and a marketing enthusiast. So I was overjoyed when my email marketing platform Klaviyo asked if they could use one of my marketing campaigns in their “Showcase” to help other small businesses.

 

7. We launched a few new cool designs including Navy Blue circles and sterling slide bracelets. 

 

8. My daughter worked her first day in the store and surprised us with her wit and audacity. Let the apprenticeship begin!  

 

 

9. We added several exciting new products to the store including handpainted glassware, locally crafted soaps, more locally made pottery, lotions, sea salt, candles, leather, hats, cashmere and more! 

10. We made 8,026 pieces of jewelry, more than doubling our 2020 production and bringing us nearly even with our pre-pandemic production levels of 2019. 

11. We did a t-shirt! When in Rome...

12. We survived our second pandemic year in business. Masking, distancing and making mask chains with a smile.

13.  We redesigned our website, relaunching it just before the holiday shopping season.

 

 

14. We made the local paper again, this time with news of our expanded product offerings and holiday events. Thanks to Gwyn Mcallister at the MV Times for writing the article.

 

Here are a few more of my favorite shots from 2021: