Romi Naar’s Atelier Mamo
We are very happy to introduce Romi Naar, who is the owner of Atelier Mamo, a small microbusiness that offers hand-crafted satchels, purses, and pouches. We met Romi at this August’s Pinner’s Conference, in Pomona, CA, and she shared with us her journey building Atelier Mamo into a successful Etsy shop.
In a few sentences, this is what my business does:
I make Japanese style drawstring lunch bags, pouches and etc. Most of my fabrics are imported from Japan. 100% handmade by me.
My typical work environment is:
At home.
The training or education that is required for my type of business is:
No special training is required, but you do need to learn to sew, which can be self-taught. You definitely need to know how to accurately cut fabrics and sew neatly.
To me, being part of the gig economy means:
Being part of a community that gives many people the chance to know about my creations and actually buy and use them.
The benefits of my type of work are:
I don't need to buy these and I can make them by myself. They are very useful for storing all kinds of things.
The difficulties I encountered starting a business were:
This may come as a surprise, but for me there was so little space to work in. I needed a separate sewing room with a large cutting table, storage for my fabrics, and many other items from drawstrings to vinyls, and of course, my sewing machine.
The way I use/leverage social media is:
I use Facebook and Instagram regularly, and I post new creations daily. This allows me to showcase the newest a latest things to my followers and customers instantly.
Integrating technology into my business is:
This business requires specialized equipment. I have a very good sewing machine, as well as my indispensable Cricut Maker 3. Of course, I use my laptop as well.
“Making it” and success in the gig economy to me means:
I'm currently working at a restaurant four days a week, which is my “official” job. Success to me would be to quit the restaurant and make a living with only Atelier Mamo, then I can say that I have achieved my first goal. After that, we’ll see.
The way I balance work and personal time is:
I work from home, so I can make time to hang out with my family, watch TV, and still get work done. This is one of the benefits of my work.
The pandemic impacted my business by:
Interestingly, I started making masks for myself during the pandemic, and at that time, I learned the joy of making handmade pouches and bags using a sewing machine. You could say this was how it all started. With that in mind, I started sewing other types of bags that I figured would be useful around the house. Now, in addition to bags and pouches, I also use etching and vinyl to make glasses and ceramics, as well as custom wood burned cutting boards. I have many other ideas as well.
The way that diversity impacts my business is:
I think that all people are interested in cute little things and easy-to-use bags like I make. For them, I don’t think that race or gender matter much. of course, I welcome everyone to purchase my products.
The future of my business and/or the gig economy is:
In the future, I hope to have a small shop of my own where I can work on new ideas in a dedicated workshop.
Is there a question we didn't ask, that we should have asked:
Yes, I did not have an opportunity to talk about product quality. I am particular about quality, so no matter how busy I am, I finish each one carefully. This is one of the things that really sets my business apart, I work very hard to create high quality, well-made, and long-lasting products by hand. This is very different from factory-produced goods that are made in very high quantity.
One final piece of useful advice I would give to others is:
Always believe that people will appreciate things that are made with confidence.
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