Building Texture Clothing with Teresa Remple: Markets, Wholesale, and Creating from the Heart

In this episode of Hey Julie by Moss Bags, Julie sits down with Teresa Remple, textile artist and founder of Texture Clothing - a brand she officially launched in 2001 after years of selling at festivals and markets.

Teresa shares what it looked like to build a clothing business through farmers markets, wholesale, festivals, and even a brick-and-mortar shop, and how that journey has evolved into the small-batch and custom work she focuses on today. This conversation is full of wisdom about longevity, following your own rhythm, and creating products that carry care, intention, and real heart.

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to build a business over decades instead of just seasons, this episode is such a beautiful reminder that meaningful growth doesn’t have to be fast or flashy.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Texture Clothing began and the early festival years
• What Teresa learned from 16 years at the farmers market
• The role of wholesale in growing a product-based business
• Why slow transitions are still valid transitions
• How she shifted from large-scale production to small-batch and custom work
• The emotional value of handmade products and personal connection
• Why follow through matters so much in business
• Getting clear on what’s really written on your heart

Favorite quote:
“May you feel wrapped in love every time you wear this thing.”

Connect with Teresa:
Texture Clothing: www.textureclothing.com
Instagram: Texture Clothing
Craft A Life You Love: https://craftalifeyoulove.com

Start Your Store on Shopify
The ecommerce platform I use and recommend for product-based businesses.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Connect with Julie | Moss Bags:
Website: https://mossbags.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/moss.bags

Photography by Lisa Aamot | https://www.merakiphotographynw.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I am really excited to share that today I'm sitting down with Teresa Rumpel of Texture Clothing. She has truly been on my wish list from the very beginning. Teresa is a textile artist and the founder of Texture Clothing, a brand she started back in 2001. In this conversation, we talk about what it looks like to build a clothing brand through farmers markets, festivals, wholesale, and even a brick and mortar shop. And how that journey has evolved into small batch custom work that she's focusing on today. But what I love most about Teresa's story is the heart behind it all. She shares so openly about building slowly, staying true to what matters, and creating products that carry real care, connection, and intention. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to build a business over decades instead of just seasons, this conversation is such a good one. Welcome to Hey Julie by Moss Bags. I'm Julie, the founder of Moss Bags since 2013. And this podcast is a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to build a small business that lasts. Each week we talk about real stories behind creative businesses, the systems that keep things running, the lessons learned along the way, and how to grow something meaningful without burnout. If you're building something with heart, you are in the right place. Now, let's dive in. Teresa, I am so excited to have you here today. Thank you for being here. When I thought about starting this podcast and telling people stories, women in general, or in particular, who have product-based businesses, your name came to mind immediately. You were on my bucket list, and never did I think you'd be on so early, but you popped into my DMs and I'm like, you know what? I just have to ask. She can always say no. But what if she says yes? And you said yes and you're here now. So thank you for being here and saying yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Oh my gosh, Julie. I am honored that you want to chat with me. I mean, I love lifting each other up in business and just as people. And so I'm happy to be here.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Oh, and that's the point of this, to be honest. Bring people together and hear people's stories. And when I when I think of you, you were one of the first people that I really had an experience with at a farmer's market forever ago. I did not grow up going to markets, but your long market skirt was such a staple. And I was like, I need one of those. And I remember getting, I got the burnt orange and it needed to be altered. And you're like, oh, just come to my, I think it was a garage studio. I'll fix it right up. And you did, and you're so welcoming. And I just remember being there with you, seeing you doing all of the things for one, selling it the market. Then I saw you making and altering. You had your market calendar and it was so full. And I was just like, wow, this one woman is doing it all. It was almost like this moment of like, oh, that's possible. Because I didn't know it was. And it was really beautiful to see. And I do not know what year that was, but texture clothing started back in 2001. Is that correct? Yeah. Okay. Take us back.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

How did how did this begin? Oh my gosh. That's so awesome. I did not realize that you bought a market skirt. So um that was one of the five pieces in my first collection that I that I offered with texture was the market skirt. And yeah, you got one of the ones that I hand-dyed. I called that pumpkin spice.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

I remember you were dying in your shop as well. You had the dryers going, you had the dyes going, all of it, all of it.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Oh, yeah. Yeah. I started in 2001. I think my first year I applied to the Bellingham Farmers Market and they did not accept me. And then I put a collection together and then they accepted me the next year. But like I started at street fairs in Seattle, and I was doing hair wraps. So I kind of had my foot in the door. I started doing hair wraps in 1992 at all the like Bomber Shoot and Folk Life and all the festivals, Fremont Street Ferry, U District. So when I started the clothing, when I started texture clothing, I kind of piggybacked on that. And but yeah, that was that was our first collection. And then I started selling every Saturday at the Bellingham Farmers Market, and I learned so much. We had an amazing market manager. Her name was Robin, and I learned so much from her. And still what I apply today and what I teach and encourage other people to do is like rooted in what I learned from her.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Really? What's a what's one of those tips that you hold with you still?

SPEAKER_00 5:06

Well, the first one that popped into my mind actually was she worked on setting up our booths and creating a nice atmosphere for customers and merchandising. And one of the things is uh she would talk about creating a pedestal. So I I'd kind of translate it into creating white space around something that you want to highlight. And over the years, I have used it. And for for me, for example, I would put, like in the holiday season, I would put a certain scarf on a mannequin and I'd kind of clear clear the space just a little bit so that it would be a little eye-catching. And that's that scarf would sell, and then I'd put another one on the scarf, and then that would sell. You know, it's like highlighting something, creating a pedestal.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

And giving it room to breathe. So I talk a lot about bestsellers, and that's the same, it's highlighting one thing, maybe two, but giving it space to shine and be seen. Oh, I love that. I love that there was that education too, because I think we get, you know, we sign up for all these events and we just start showing up and and we learn along the way, but to have kind of a mentorship going on and just a few tidbits that are solid, that's wonderful. So, how long did you do the farmer's market?

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Oh, I think I did the market. I sold at the market for 16 years, and I would do this, the yeah, I would do the Saturday market in Bellingham, and then the next day I would do the Sunday market in Ballard in Seattle. And that was like every weekend. And then I also had employees and we would do festivals, and so I had clothes going different directions on the weekends, yeah. And this was all handmade. Well, all clothing is handmade, so there's no machine that makes a piece of clothing. But over the years, I have worked with factories, I've worked with home sewers, I have sewn. Even when I have people other people sewing, I often do the cutting myself or one of my employees, so in-house. And that is so that I can always strive for zero waste. Not that I've ever gotten to complete zero waste, but using the scraps and and all that. And then the like I've done a lot of the dyeing and embellishing, whether it be embroidery or like screen printing or yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

Right. Well, I think that's really important to hear because sometimes when we do show up, it is handmade, somebody's making it exactly. But I think it's good to realize that sometimes in order to grow or show up as often as we do, there are other hands involved, and that is great. That is a a good thing. Because at one point you even had a brick and mortar shop, right? That's correct. And I mean, I I just I I am blown away with how much you were showing up. That takes people, that takes product, that takes a lot. And would you say that was something you were always striving to have, or was that just part of the trial time for texture?

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Oh, the brick and mortar, the boutique? Yeah, yeah. Um, you think it's interesting. I had that boutique for eight years, and it never created an income itself. Like it didn't totally take off. Part of it was the location, but no, I was away doing sales trips and because I leaned heavily into wholesale, and I would say, like, I can't remember what was going through my mind thinking, okay, I'm gonna open a store because I travel so much. Was good for a lot. Like, there were a lot of reasons that I that I liked it, and it was definitely a learning experience. And it was hard to to shut it down. It was hard to like move on. I actually have a pro, like, maybe it's not a problem. Let me like, let me just reframe that for one moment. I transition slowly from one thing to the other. I have been describing myself as um like a train on train tracks. Train on train tracks doesn't make a 90-degree pivot. No, a train goes really slowly around a corner and maybe even makes some screechy noises, you know, as it goes. It's like, you know, it's there, you know there's change. So yeah, I had I had that store for for a lot of years and was slow, slow to change it. But like my factory was beneath it, it was literally underground. And so it was really helpful to have those employees do certain tasks and yeah, so it was an interesting, interesting time.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Oh, yeah. Well, I I like your train analogy that resonates with me. I'm not sure if I'm stubborn or if I I need to see the big picture. I'll do the changes and I'll be full force, but I need to see it and it needs to resonate, and it's brewing for a while before I really make changes, I have to say. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

Are you are you kind of the same as me? Like, if I say I'm gonna do something, I I really do my best to do it to the best of my abilities, and then like kind of exhaust every angle. And then okay, then I can step away.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Yes, and I have to put it out in the universe. It's this you get this idea, even this podcast. Like, I was like, oh, let's share stories, let's bring this community of women together and you know feel less alone in these moments. And I gave myself one month. I'm like, I am gonna get up and going in one month, it's gonna be live. And to the day, I was like, I have to launch today. These have to be ready because I said I was going to. Whether I put that out there to other people or not, it's I have put it out there to the universe, to something, to somebody, and I will, I am great with deadlines. I might be slow to make those changes, to do something new, but once I have decided it is 100% happening. There's there's no stopping.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

That's great. It sounds like you have a strong like internal motivation. Like if you if you're it's almost like a contract to yourself that you're making.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

I think we need to if we're in these businesses, because nobody else is holding us accountable besides maybe a customer, and we don't want to let people down, but we don't have a boss that is checking in on us. There's nobody overseeing what we're doing. So we have to be self-motivated, and that works for me. That definitely works for me. And I have to say, having events scheduled are great ways to stay on top of that when I've been in the season of a lot of events. Cause you're like, okay, there's no time to waste. We we signed up, we're showing up. And whether that's a launch or or whatnot, whatever type of schedule you create for yourself, we have to do it for ourselves. Be our own cheerleaders and accountability partners, right? So oh well, I love hearing about your shop. And I didn't realize you were had been there for eight years. That's that that's a that's a good stretch. And then do you still have the workshop below?

SPEAKER_00 12:38

I was working there for several years and I've actually moved. But yeah, I'll have a a workspace with my tables and yeah, I just don't have it set up for the public to come shop.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Yep, that's a whole different beast altogether. I do love seeing your business. I was gonna say it's amazing it started in 2001, but you're saying it was 1990 in the 90s, you said.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

1992 is when I started in your wrap. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

Yeah. Wow. Okay, okay. Your story's even deeper than I realized. So what a wealth of information and experience. And now you have kind of traded in traveling consistently for markets and festivals, which you did throughout the US and Canada, and your store, and now you are focusing in on small batch and custom pieces. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_00 13:31

Yeah, I had a lot of fabric and raw raw materials stacked up. And so I I was just gonna do it for a year, but I think did I do it for two or three? And I just worked off of fabric that I had in stock, except for I had to buy some a little bit of black because everybody likes black. Me too. I wear black a lot. Um and clearly I do as well. Yeah, totally. And then I did end up buying buying some more fabric and did some fun dyeing and colors and ice dyeing and all that stuff. But yeah, I am I'm just challenging myself to use end of roll, use fabric scraps. So I have a wish list. And honestly, this is something that I I also think small maker businesses, I mean, I don't I I don't like the word should. I once had a college professor tell me don't shuddle over yourself. So I really consider should a swear word, but small business owner makers could um have a wish list. And so I just have have it in a Google, people can fill out a Google form and it drops into a Google sheet and it tell and it's just tells me the date, obviously, the person's name, their contact information, and what they would want and the size and the color and what they're kind of dreaming of. And then I either email or I text them and I say, Oh, you know what? I'm I'm out of that color. Is there any other color that you'd be interested in? Um and sometimes they're like, No, but a lot of times they're like, Yeah, and you can make it to a specific inseam or yeah, I can. Because if if I'm just making one, oh you can make it to a specific waist measurement. Yes, I can. So I'm focusing on that, you know, making these people happy that have been my customers for literally 20 plus years. I mean, people have a collection of texture things, and because I use hemp fabric, it really lasts a long time. And so, yeah, I'm doing very small batches of some things, and then also doing a whole bunch of one-offs customized.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

So, do you feel like your customers are primarily repeat? They know you, they love you, they know your product, they know what they're ordering, and so you get to cater to your people. It's so clear.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

Yeah, so it's it is interesting. I'll occasionally get like a first order, and you can see that I go, I have a Shopify website, you can see, oh, it's our first time ordering. So um sometimes I'll email them and I'll say, Oh, you know, this is your first time. I'm just so curious. How did you hear about me? And it's just happening to be last week. And somebody was like, literally, they were like, I bought a market skirt from you 20 years ago, blah, blah, blah. And they also have the sewing, the sewing pattern up for sale now because I don't make I sometimes will make market skirts, but anyways, yeah. She was like, Oh, I want to make a bunch for myself. And she and actually she's in Dubai, and the sewing pattern's $15. So she can just go and make, you know, buy fabric locally and make it locally. So, but normally it's let people who have bought five, 10, 15 times before me, and they're just adding another one. And so they already know their size, and yeah, it's good.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

Yeah, and don't you love your your Shopify store store is saying, Oh, first-time buyer, but in reality, she found you years before when you're popping up all over the place, you know, and you're like, oh, just found me in a whole new way. It's it's great to have multiple locations and in ways to connect. It's it's getting so much easier because of that, and I love it.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

Yeah, yeah. And I also think, like, I used to sell a lot of wholesale. So I had almost a hundred accounts, so small boutiques, but West Coast, some in the Midwest, some on the East Coast, some some in Canada. And all of those pieces have a tag that has my website. And then they those pieces last for 10 or whatever years, 15. And then there's still that piece of marketing. It's very it's a strange thing. The other thing that I think about, and I don't know, you can tell me if you think about this too, is so many people think about me because they're wearing clothes that I've made. And many of my customers I've had a personal interaction with, you know, at a festival, at a show. And um, well, how did you just start this podcast? You said I you you came to my studio. I ham did I ham the skirt while you waited? Is that yes, you did? Yeah, yeah. So you had that lovely experience and you think about it. And I th I think that's amazing. Like, so many people are having a good experience with sort of my energy and like maybe even sending me a little blessing or sending me like being grateful and putting that into the atmosphere. And right now, as we are doing this podcast, I am not in the US, I'm in Berlin. And every day I use something that you made for me specifically last December, was a strap from my uh bag. And you were so kind, you were like, Oh, let me just uh make that for you. And you brought it the next day, and I I think about you often. And so it's like such a special thing to buy something from the person that you know, a maker that you have an interaction with, and then it's just it doesn't stop there, it keeps going. And if it's a nice interaction, like not and I don't mean nice, nice actually means surface. Like if it's a we could just say positive interaction, then that kind of keeps reverberating. I'll stop talking.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

No, I love everything that you're saying, and it all resonates so much. I mean, I wear earrings that my friends have made. I wear, you know, it's like I still have your oh, the mit, what are they called? Knit myths. Knit myths. I've got a I've got multiples, and I love thinking of the person who made those every time I put them on, and it makes everything more special. There's there is this positive energy every time I see something that you've made or that somebody else that I've purchased from, and you're like, oh, that's positive energy going out. There's a little love note going out every time I put that product on or I see it and I think of you. It's not just this fabric, it's not just this thing, it is a person, a real life person, and that energy is remarkable and it adds up. And that's one of the things that I absolutely love about events that you can't replace. I don't know how to replace that. It is in-person interactions with another human. We we we need that, and so I love the value behind the products that we choose to purchase. And your products last. It's beautiful, it's wonderful. And I hope the strap is still working out for you for years to come.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

That strap, that strap is so burly, like it's yeah, it's definitely lasting. Uh more quality out there. Exactly. The other thing that I was thinking about as you were sharing is that so I I'm just pretty much solo right now, me and I have one main seamstress that we work together, but um I don't have any employees. Uh, I do all the shipping. And so one of the things that I do, and this I don't know, I'm like smiling because I'm gonna let And I want to say, oh, this is cheesy. But it's not, it's not, because guess what? Whoever's going to be listening to this podcast is woo-woo, just like me, just like we are. And what I do is I write a little blessing. And I put a like whenever you order something for me on online, I put a little some goodies in. And when you order more and more and more, you get bigger and bigger and more special little goodies. But I put a blessing in there. And I do, I do kind of really, I I believe it. I want what I say is may you feel wrapped in love every time you wear this thing. And and I I think it's so important. Like there's just I don't have enough love in my life. Like, there's not enough love going around the world. There's there's always this like push and pull here. And I mean, another hug is always a good thing. Or I mean, you know, as long as it's safe, as long as it's consensual. Let's give it like a little mini disclaimer, yes. Yeah, like here, asterisk. But yeah, just so you know, putting that out there. And well, so far, I haven't wanted to stop. This is getting back to that train analogy, but it's like I am doing texture clothing part-time now, but I still consider it one of my platforms for putting love into the world. So I don't necessarily want to stop. And part of it is, I mean, the last time we saw each other was December at a holiday show. We were next door to each other, it was amazing. We got to visit, and it was so nice. Oh, I loved it, yes. It was so nice, and and that interaction and just like br all that love energy and positive energy that we all of us vendors at that show mustered and put together and people could feel it. And I just think there needs to be more and more of that and safe, accepting spaces where everyone is welcome. So that's that's really what I'm about. Absolutely. And so that's what texture's about too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Your love notes that you send out, your blessings. I write a little thank you with each order, and it it's simple. Mine's very simple, but it's a moment for me to just reflect on somebody's choosing to spend their money with me. And I thank you for that. I hope you enjoy this product. Thank you. Thank you for seeing, finding and being here. And it's, you know, with business, it's a give and take. And well, life is a give and take. Each breath is a give and take, and finding that balance in nature, in life. And yes, we're in it to make some money. We all need money to live, pay our bills, and all the things, but just we can't forget the gratitude with what we've built and who is showing up. It's it's a beautiful interaction, and I I just I like taking a moment to appreciate that. And it just that means something. You you also tapped on wholesale. And I would just love, because that's its own business and beast in itself. Do you have any suggestions or thoughts or tips if somebody's just starting to get into wholesale? Like what how did you approach it? You said you were in a hundred stores, boutiques.

SPEAKER_00 25:19

Yeah, almost a hundred. I my first thought was oh, the wholesale game has changed since I've been involved thinking about fair. Yes. Um, I am, for whatever reason, this is just my personality, but I am confident to walk into a store and speak with a stranger. And I I do recognize that not everybody can do that. Um and so I did a lot of my wholesale account acquisition through cold calling. And um probably it started when I would do bigger shows. I used to do this uh festival circuit called the Green Festival in San Francisco and DC and Chicago, and people would come up to my booth that had stores because there weren't many people making hemp clothing at the time. And so I would always collect their information and follow through. So, first of all, if you meet somebody with a store, if you get their information, the number one thing is follow through. Because I met I I met lots of people even at wholesale trade shows that didn't do the follow-through, didn't do the callback, didn't do the check-in. And that didn't never made sense to me. So yeah. So I would meet them at shows, then I obviously I also did wholesale trade shows, and then I would get in my van and travel, and I would research similar brands to mine and see where they sold, what stores, and then I would go to these different towns and then just show up. And I would go into their store and say, Oh, hi, oh, are you the owner? Oh, cute stuff. Sometimes I would like buy something, uh, and then I would say, Yeah, I have a clothing brand. Oh, yeah, it's this. Uh-huh. And this is way before Instagram. I mean, whatever. Uh and I'd like, well, I actually have my samples in the car if you have some time. And then I'd pull out my suitcase, roll it down the street, pop open a few of my best sellers, and see if I could get an order. And a lot of times I did. And they got screwed over by some people. I sent their orders out and never got payment and had to learn about hiring a collection agency. But for the most part, that I ended up in, you know, ahead of the game. Um yeah, am I even answering your question? I can't remember what your question is. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:53

No, just wholesale in itself. It's, you know, it's it's one of those when when we start our businesses, we don't all start straight into wholesale. Sometimes there's not the margins when we think about it. But oftentimes it's part of the long-term game. And just thinking about how to tap into it. And like you said, it is different. I mean, things are always changing. Fair is now, so you're not going to get screwed over if somebody's buying through fair. That you've got this little protection. But showing up and contacting these places, following through, that is, you know, it's so easy to send that email, make that call. But if you don't hear back right away, it's not always that fun to follow up again. But it's necessary, you know, people are busy. Think about how many emails you get each day. I miss them. Or they get filtered. And so just I think there's a point when you you know you're they're not your people and you can let that one rest. But yeah, a little persistence and showing up and advocating for yourself and being your best marketing, you are your best marketing tool. And making that first impression. Like I I oh my gosh, I'd love to see you walking through the streets, rolling in with your samples and be like, look what I make. That'd be so cool.

SPEAKER_00 29:10

Well, and I also am pretty humble about everything. I'm just like, here's here it is. I I don't, I don't take, I don't take it personally, you know, like not for you, no problem. But I yeah, I want to get back to what you said about pricing. And I think that is one of the f very first things. I mean, just to business in general, is to get your pricing correct so that you know exactly what your what your costs are for each item so that you know that you're making profit. And then building in the the wholesale rate. And then also if you're gonna end up hiring a sales rep, building that in too. Um and I think I made uh very early on, I made a a really good or I learned a good lesson is I make the rules. So I was just catering to each store and I was going crazy because they wanted this color, the store wanted this color, this store wanted to order these many sizes, this one, and then when you go to cut out clothing, it does you need to have more of a system, otherwise you're gonna end up with, and I often did, but like way too many extra smalls, and then you know, just to make just to make the production cut worth it. And so I realized I need to set the boundaries so that people know how to order from me. And it's just like anything in life, like um, this is how you're gonna do business with me. And and then the fact is is that everybody can relax because you you put it out in paper, you put it out on the website, whatever, and you're like, you can order, you know, too small, too medium, too large, and you can order one color or whatever it is, but you make the rules. I mean I make the rules for my business. And that was a really good lesson for me in wholesale because it really helped my production. I don't know if you have had the same kind of learning curves with that.

SPEAKER_01 31:19

I feel like it's it's a steep learning curve and I'm still learning. And I'm trying to find my place and where it works for me. I don't do my bags wholesale anymore. It just that doesn't bring me joy. So I I would rather have a smaller batch of bags going out and focusing wholesale on the small things because I'm trying to use up as much of my small pieces as well, and I've got a lot of them. So, like you said, you've been able to spend about two years using your small scrap extras, me too. And I still have more, and I want to use as much of those as possible, and so that's where it's like, hey, we can do wholesale with that and reduce waste at the same time, and it's leather, and I'll get you a good piece, and it will last a long time. And so it's it's again finding my boundaries. So, what do I want to offer at that price point? Because it doesn't work for everything in my catalog, and I'm okay with that. So I like to ask this question, and I've been surprised by the responses because I'm sorry, but people say the craziest things, and you know, it can just be offhand and silly and ridiculous and not thought out. But has a customer or someone just walking by your booth seen your product and just made a crazy comment right in front of you? Or have you not had that experience?

SPEAKER_00 32:50

Oh, I mean, come on, now you know how long I've been in business. But and like I did tell you, I don't, there's not much that I take personally as far as you know, my work. I mean, it's not for everybody, but a few years ago, there I had some scarves hanging on my booth. And to be fair, I wasn't a complete fan of these scarves. Like I made them, I dyed them with tea and iron rust. I'm not into brown these days. So, like they some of these some of the scarves came out and I liked the pattern. And some of them I'm like, you know what? I'm just gonna put them up for I'm gonna hang them up. Somebody'll like them. That's how that's how selling works. And this woman came up and she she's not my demographic, she she's not my customer, and she was with her two daughters or granddaughters, I don't know. And she was literally in my booth, and she looked out, and I was standing right beside her, and she looked up and she said, That looks like our tablecloth after dinner. You know, like it looked like it had a like in greedy whatever. And she was just like had this disgusted look on her face, and and I was like, Hey, like literally thinking to myself, and I think we even made eye contact, and I was like, Oh yeah, hey, uh and I was like, Hey, no problem. Like, I'm I'm not, I don't feel personally attacked, don't care, not for everybody. And like literally half an hour later, two girls came into my booth and they bought two. Yes, so I'm like, Yes, yes, I love that. This is it. It's like I I'm here to make and to be creative and put it out in the world, and I 100% do not need to take anything personally.

SPEAKER_01 34:50

There is a scarf for everybody, you know. Yes, and oh, I love that. And I I feel similar. I'm like, you're not my customer, that's fine, that's fine. Somebody else is, that's great. I'm just but I'm I just love that people say the craziest things, and yeah, you know, you can either take it personally or you can be like, okay, fair, you know, and that's okay.

SPEAKER_00 35:13

Yeah, and I have probably said those crazy things, not thinking, like I'm sure I'm a human too, you know. Totally, totally.

SPEAKER_01 35:22

Oh, I love it. Well, I just want to wrap with asking you if somebody was starting out with a product-based business, is there I know there's so much advice to give, but or thoughts or tips, but what's one of them that you would give?

SPEAKER_00 35:40

Let me see. I because my first thought was because I I do coach small business owners, and one of the things we talk a lot about is getting crystal clear on your goal. Like, what is your why? What is your reason for doing this? And I think my second thought, which is just kind of maybe even the same thing, is what is it that's written on your heart? Like, what is it that you're doing here on this plane of existence? You know, like what we all fit together somehow. If we can all do the thing that's on our heart um and put into the community, I feel like that's how the how that's how the greater community works more effectively. And so it's like, what it what is it that is drawing you and you were saying earlier, what brings you joy? You know, like what is it that thing, what is that thing that lights your heart on fire and and just thinking about kind of having that as a goal and getting crystal clear on that? Oh, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 36:47

Yeah, your why. Why are we doing these things? Why are we giving this attention? Why are we putting our heart and soul into this project? We can't lose sight of that.

unknown 36:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:58

Thank you for sharing. And you just touched on the fact that you are also coaching. So, where can people find you? Find more information also.

SPEAKER_00 37:11

Yeah, I mean, I'm on Instagram and I also have a uh website. My coaching business is called Craft a Life You Love. So it's craftalife love.com.

SPEAKER_01 37:23

Perfect. And then textureclothing.com. And textureclothing.com. Yeah. And I'll put it all in the show notes as well. Thank you. Oh, Teresa, thank you for being here and showing up and sharing. You are such a light, and I can't wait till I get to see you again. Where are you right now?

SPEAKER_00 37:43

I'm in Berlin. You're in Berlin. Yeah. And Julie, it is like really, it's always so good to chat with you. And I love being your neighbor. Maybe we could work that out again.

SPEAKER_01 37:56

You know, I remember hearing some vendors saying, Hey, request to be neighbors with your friends when you're doing any event because it can make those long shows so much better. But I loved talking to you, and yes, I want more of it too. Yes, please. Well, thank you. Thank you for that. This was such a special conversation with Teresa. I think one of the biggest takeaways from this episode is that building a business doesn't have to look fast or flashy to be deeply meaningful. Teresa's story is such a beautiful reminder that there is so much power in creating with intention, trusting your own rhythm, and letting your work be an extension of what's written in your heart. You can find Teresa Shop for Texture Clothing and learn more about her coaching work in the show notes. And if this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to share it with a friend or hit follow so you don't miss what's next. Thanks for being here, friend. Until next time.