Entrepreneurs like us constantly have to reinvent, create, and rethink.  Whether it’s an existing idea or coming up with something completely new to sell a product or brand, reinventing is part of what makes a business work.

One very good example of this reinvention is the Whipstitch Lounge now open at the Beehive Co-op in Atlanta.  Since I can remember, the back room at the Beehive has struggled, at best, to be utilized to its full potential.  In the beginning, the space has rentable boutiques with plenty of great designers, but it didn’t take long before they realized the traffic and buying habits were not as strong as in the front part of the store. 

So the designers moved the spaced stayed open for a short time.  The owner thought about renting out to a designer (it would have made great studio space) but that didn’t work out.  Then it was set-up as a play area for kids so the mom’s could shop in the store.  Finally, a reinventing idea….turn the space into a classroom type area for sewing classes and other craft workshops.  The space totally evolved into a workspace area, being able to generate its share of revenue.  And now another reinvention or really an extension of the workspace is the Whipstitch Lounge! Full of small craft notions, fabric cuts and creative project kits, it’s a great use of that space and it fits with the theme of the co-op! Years in the making, this is a great way to finally utilize that space and kudos to those who made it happen!

Next time your in Atlanta or Buckhead, be sure to check out the Beehive Co-op and the Whipstitch Lounge!  Or to learn more about Whipstitch, visit their blog!

Ah... it's that gift-giving, card-swapping, secret-Santa-swapping time of the year for all of us.  The air is rife with folks looking for deals to and fro, and the malls are bursting at the seams with eager shoppers ready to save a buck in this struggling economy. 

In all of the hustle-and-bustle of trying not to spend, it's easy to forget the true notion and intention of the holiday season - to give and spread the spirit of giving. 

I am thankful for the holiday season.... for a person who creates handmade goods, this is the busiest time of the year, and I'm ecstatic to say that many devoted and loyal customers came out to the Beehive Atlanta to support handmade artists and purchase creative goods.   However, being so busy on the creative side of making a product in stores and at festivals can also can steer easily steer us away from what's most important.... to give in any way possible.

My husband and I are fortunate to spend our first holiday season in our first home together, which is a blessing in itself.  Early yesterday morning, we got up and began to clean a large amount of litter on the main drag of road outside our enclosed community.  It was a tedious, wet and messy job that was thankless at its core, but in the end it was our gift to our community, litterers and non-litterers alike.  While hard, I'd do it again next year in a heartbeat.

The Beehive is a place that encapsulates the spirit of giving in every way possible... You have to give your time to work in the store, give your creativity through the products you make for the public, and give your knowledge to other emerging designers.  Overall, it is a special place that truly impresses upon the best giving-and-sharing part of a person, and like everything else in life, will give back to you if you give your time, effort, and love to it, as well.

It is also a place that nourishes the entrepreneurial spirit of any emerging designer.  When that spirit can be combined with giving, great things can happen.  Recently, one of our designers, Arwen Fine of A. Fine Shirt, was bitten with the bug to give the Beehive to her community, and single-handedly created the first "Beehive on Wheels" event, where she set up a mobile Beehive store in Dunwoody, GA.

 

Arwen worked arduously to find the space, invite all Beehive talent to participate, and share the space with other up-and-coming designers in the Dunwoody area.  The result was a fantastically successful 5-day market filled with handmade goods, which dually promoted the Beehive. and gave other designers a chance to see how a group of creative people can work together to make something great happen in their community.

Kudos to Arwen for her gift to both the Beehivers, local Dunwoody designers, and her community this holiday season.  Kudos to the Beehive designers for giving so much time and effort to the store and eachother.  And finally, kudos to all who choose to give a small part of their time for someone else during this holiday season.  I wish you and yours the Happiest New Year, and encourage you all to continue to pay it forward.

Until next time, creative people.... 

Ever seen someone create selling a design that you know you created first?  Did your literally heart stop at the sight?

One of the benefits of being a designer at the Beehive is that we have an open venue to share information about the trials, travails and successes of our businesses.  Many of our designers are extraordinarily creative, and have, with hard work, time, and ingenuity, come up with innovative designs that provided a bright, wonderful new piece of clothing, jewelry, or home accessory for the marketplace to enjoy. 

In a heartbeat, that great joy of creativity can be stripped away when another creative person decides to steal the original designer’s idea, and hold it out to the public to be their own.  It is a sad fact that this happens more often than not.

In previous entries, I’ve spoken about the fact that my sister and I have a particular jewelry design that is the epicenter of our line, and is one that we have yet to see done by any other designer.   As we continue to grow, we’re told more and more by fellow designers that we’re likely to see our design created in the marketplace by other people, who will ardently take credit for the creation of the design.

In an effort to prevent this from happening, it is our goal to increase our brand awareness to the public through continuing to do festivals and shows, gaining the amount of retail accounts and relationships we have with boutiques and galleries, and gaining and maintaining relationships we with have with local and national press.

But in order to truly protect our designs, we have to go a step further to ensure the rights over our creations.  My friend and fellow Beehiver, Dana Clemons of the great baby line, plum.tree.studio, told me that I could get our woven design copyrighted very easily, and with minimal cost.  She insisted that we not take the long, arduous, expensive process of getting our design patented, when a copyright will do in the short term.

So, what does it take to get your designs protected?  New York attorney and jeweler, Sarah Feingold, wrote a wonderful article for Bead and Button Magazine regarding what steps you need to take to file your copyright.

Generally, U.S. Copyright law provides protection for “original works of authorship.”  This “authorship” includes jewelry, clothing and home furniture and article designs, as well as other designed materials.  The most interesting thing I learned from the article is that you do not need to fill out a copyright form in order to have rights over your design; registering your work, however, does allow you to prove ownership rights over your designs more easily.  You also do not need to signify that the work is copyrighted with the © symbol; your work is already copyrighted once the design, instructions to the design, or template is physically created or drawn out on paper.

Your copyright protection gives you the right to:

1.       Reproduce Designs and instructions

2.       Claim rights to similar works based on your design

3.       Distribute copies of the design’s instructions

4.       Sell copies of the design or instructions

5.       Transfer ownership of the designs or instructions

6.       Display the design or the instructions publicly

You can go to websites such as www.copyright.gov or www.legalzoom.com to download and submit your own copyright form.

My sister and I intend to copyright our design in the next week, and will report on how easy (or difficult) the process actually was.  In a future article, I’ll also discuss what you’re able to do if you do find that someone has copied your designs (be ready to get your legal brains on! Yay!). 

Until then, get to protecting your work, Creative People, and happy designing!