Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Pomeroy
Hi Lisa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, if I were asked to describe myself with only one word it would be ‘creator.’ All throughout school, from grade school to high school to a brief period of time at art school, my favorite subjects were art and English. The love for both has carried over into adulthood, especially in the last seven years since my divorce. I recently posted something on social emphasizing how we often say, “if only I’d known then what I know now…” And when later life rolls around, it becomes quite clear how much time is spent lamenting the past or stressing over the uncertainty of the future. It’s taken me quite a while, but I think I’ve finally discovered that the secret to a joyous, fulfilling life is simply being present for for it. Understanding what a privilege it is to live and breathe and to be fully alive in the moment. I’m still a work in progress, but I’m getting there! I do my best to live authentically… to represent the person that I know I am rather than a mask of someone that others might think I should be. This has been my greatest life lesson.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? Haha… no. I’m very entrepreneurial and do well conceptualizing, creating and executing an idea or project, but fall short when it comes to marketing. The business end of things has always been a struggle for me. There are reasons that those with larger or more established businesses delegate. But I do feel I’ve learned a few things along the way.
I’ve been on and off the vending circuit here in the upstate for many years. My first real attempt at a business of my own was selling homemade dog treats at the downtown farmers’ market when it first opened back in 2003. I participated from 2003-2005, and one of my little Italian Greyhounds, Izabella, accompanied me every Saturday until the city opted to enforce an existing ordinance that banned dogs from public events. I garnered a following, but Louisa’s Galloping Gourmutt (named after my first IG) was very much a hobby business. No business license, no DHEC or Dept of Ag restrictions. It was an easier time as far as compliance goes, but with the massive growth of markets, makers, and vendors stricter regulation was inevitable. I displayed a scrapbook of my fur babes at the market for customers to peruse. The best compliment that I received from my time there was, “When I die, I want to come back as a dog… in YOUR household!” That meant a lot.
The second business, many years later, stemmed from my foodie tendencies. I began selling baked goods and a few confections at the Easley Farmers’ Market somewhere around 2011 or 12, I think. I could legally bake under the SC Cottage Law, as long as I followed their guidelines. Again, I had some regular customers and enjoyed doing what I was doing, but the effort was lacking passion. And it still wasn’t a bona fide business. Much more of a hobby. A whole lot of life happened between 2013- 2016, so I backed off quite a bit, and amicably separated in 2016. That period of time in my life was pivotal, as it allowed me, out of both desire and necessity, to try to conceptualize a more fulfilling business endeavor. And thus, Mallows & Madness LLC was born. Somewhere I caught wind of gourmet marshmallows being a thing, but they weren’t all over the map yet. Ironically, I never really liked marshmallows very much. But when I made my first batch from scratch and licked that fluffy goodness from the spatula after spreading it in the pan… well, that was that! And I found a niche. I sold at a few markets, designed a website, made everything legal, including an approved kitchen on my property, and was accepted into the TD Saturday Market in downtown Greenville on the first try. Anyone who has submitted an application to this market knows how tough it is to get into, so I was elated. At some point, the business was even part of a feature in TALK magazine. I had two wonderful years there before the pandemic hit. I was invited back, but for several reasons I opted out. After 5 years of flying solo and attempting to maintain my home and property, I decided to sell. Of course, losing my approved kitchen. But even after closing the business, I kept my Instagram page. And, surprisingly, it still has followers.
I have moved 4 times in 3 years. First to the lowcountry, then back to Greenville where I have had three different apartments. All I can say is, life never stops teaching us! I am now continuing to develop my latest business, West Village Creations LLC. I’ve returned to my roots with the two things that bring me the most joy, art and writing. I have shops on Printify, Etsy and Square, all of which need some attention, as it takes time to photograph, list and research. This is an ongoing effort. So stay tuned!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am most proud of my capabilities. I’ve stated on a couple of occasions that being creative is a double edged sword. Both a blessing and curse. I really don’t appreciate the term ‘starving artist.’ I, perhaps, understand where it comes from in that creatives of all bents sometimes undersell their work by under-valuing their time. But labels are just that, and when imposed upon a person or group of people they rarely identify those people correctly.
As for what I do… West Village Creations LLC is an eCommerce brand, still being developed, that produces laser and/or hand-painted items for sale. These items range from jewelry/novelties, journals for writers or sketch artists, to wooden keepsake greeting cards (some designed around lines of my own original poetry), and more. The business offers custom design and personalization, as well.
I began very broadly with my business name. My license is under West Village Creations LLC. I’ve discovered that ‘broad’ can be overwhelming to some, but I often choose it to avoid limiting my creativity. To aid customers in more specific search, I have developed a couple off-shoots that fall under the umbrella of West Village Creations. Verse & Varnish is more geared to fine art and poetry lovers (journals, keepsake greeting cards, posters, paintings, etc). Chic Plant Boutique stocks functional and/or humorous plant accessories. One can find the miscellaneous items (jewelry, novelties) under West Village Creations.
Digitally, Printify is something that I’m very excited about. The focus is on design. Production and shipping fall to the various partnered companies, so there is no inventory to stock. Amazon KDP is the same concept, and is something that I will utilize, as I have a couple of books in the works. One being an entertaining/recipe book created around my former business Mallows & Madness. The other, a collection of poems, prose and humorous or poignant life anecdotes.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I was taken ridiculously far out of my introverted little comfort zone when I decided to do Mallows & Madness! I outfitted the kitchen myself, went through the legal and approval processes, etc, etc. I purchased a program to learn how to build my own WordPress website… something I never thought I’d be able to do, but I did it! It was a lot. And I was proud of the business I built, even though it never reached the point where it could completely sustain me. With West Village Creations, I am currently learning more about the how-tos and importance of social media and linking platforms, while also practicing/contemplating putting myself out there more on video.
The best advice I can give is to make sure you know what you want. Make sure you know what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to get it. If you have some business background, that would be extremely helpful. I did not. I sort of flew by the seat of my pants, which I don’t recommend. If you have tangible product or even digital product as opposed to a service, do a cost analysis. Know what your income to expenditure ratio is. Value your time! Value your talent! There are still consumers out there who are willing to pay for items that are not mass produced junk. Mostly, love what you do. That passion will show in what you produce. Lastly, if you have a spouse/family, talk candidly with them about what this type of business entails. Hopefully, they will offer the kind of support that will help you thrive. And please, don’t forget to have fun!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://west-village-creations.printify.me
- Instagram: @the.zealous.creative
- Other: https://linktr.ee/westvillagecreationsllc
