10/21/2026
There is a lot to unpack about 2017. It was our first full year as a business. Christina was still working full time as a dental assistant while Ian was trying to get his videography/digital marketing business off the ground.
2017 was all about experimenting and learning.
The Craft Store Era: We started out raiding Michael’s and JoAnn’s clearance aisles for beads and experimenting with designs. We tried keychains and rings for the first time.
Classics Were Born: Two designs, Vanessa and Grace (called Chloe at the time) came to life this year. They continue to be among our most popular designs today.
Keeping It Together: After learning the lobster clasp was too difficult to use, we experimented with two different clasp designs; a twist lock and magnetic clasp. We rolled with the magnet for a while thinking we had found the solution.
Sketchy String Missions: Scoring used bass strings was an extreme sport back then. We posted on Craigslist and drove all over the Denver metro area to meet local musicians. After one specific terrifying encounter, we decided in person meetups were canceled forever!
Shaping Up: We constantly experimented with our booth design and layout. How do we grab people’s attention? Which way should the tables be laid out? How do we let people know it’s guitar strings?
And the Band Played On: We traveled to San Francisco for a Dead Sara show for Christina’s birthday. It was also the first time we sold jewelry made from the band’s used strings along side the rest of their merch. We ended up getting some of Emily Armstrong’s strings and offering a full Dead Sara collection online.
Event Marathon: We packed our schedule and did 29 Colorado shows, figuring out how to run a small business on pure caffeine and stubbornness. Thank goodness Christina had such an understanding boss at Dental Horizons. We also learned that there are good promoters and bad promoters and we needed to do more research when picking shows.
Getting the Blues (in a good way): The Greeley Blues Jam introduced us to the blues community. We cannot say enough about how amazing the blues community has been over the years. To both the artists and fans, Thank You!
