Sophomore Alex James is a young entrepreneur who has successfully established “A. Rose’s Delight,” a thriving bracelet-making business. To create these bracelets, James takes her client’s measurements and carefully hand strings each bead with a pair of tweezers and an eye needle onto an elastic string. James has seamlessly turned her passion for crafts into products her clients enjoy. 

Seeing a lack of stylish yet cheap bracelets inspired James to create her own business where she works to keep her prices between 1 and 5 dollars. 

“When I looked at other people with their bracelets, I realized many of them only had rubber bands,” James said. “I then realized I could sell my bracelets to others for a cheap price.”

For sophomore Abigail McRae, the affordable price was one of the reasons she decided to purchase a bracelet from James. 

“Jewelry can get expensive and she had great pricing for my budget,” McRae said. “Also, I like to support small businesses!”

James likes to work alongside her customers to create visually appealing bracelets they enjoy wearing. 

“While making designs for bracelets, I go with whatever I think goes together,” James said. “For example, for one of my blue bracelets, I take all the different colors of blue and mix them up into a pattern that is both doable and visually interesting for the customer. I try to ensure the patterns are worth my time, their time, and their money.”

Customer and sophomore Ayush Dane liked the collaborative approach James has with her business.

“The customization process was straightforward and engaging,” Dane said. “She showcased her collection, prompting me to select my favorite colors and design preferences, as well as choose a charm. This collaborative approach ensured the final bracelet was tailored to my liking.” 

Currently, James uses social media and word-of-mouth in order to promote her business however, she hopes to launch a website and reach a larger audience.

“I market and promote my business by posting ads on Snapchat, my social media account, and talking to people about it,” James said. “Once I get a bigger audience, I plan on making a website and doing either pickups or deliveries so that way it can be accessible to people who are not within a one-mile radius of me.”

BRACELETS (2000 × 800 px) by Lea Garcia-Salazar