2020 "FOCUS ON YOUTH":
FEATURED YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR
Sophia Shaw:
Owner of Stones on Main
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Sophia Shaw grew up in Canandaigua, NY, a small town located within the Finger Lakes Region. As a kid, Sophia sought every opportunity to create, insisting her parents host art shows to share her work to family and friends. When she was sixteen years old, she started her first job at a local florist. Designing and delivering floral arrangements allowed her to appreciate how much work goes into making a product.
Sophia is a rising senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), where she is studying chemistry and environmental studies. She plans to attend graduate school to pursue a degree in environmental chemistry. While at HWS, Sophia has participated in a variety of academic and personal endeavors. She is the house manager of the ‘sustainable living’ house where she lives with like-minded students working to reduce their environmental impact. During her summers, Sophia has remained on campus, conducting research with professors in the chemistry department. This summer, she is working as a research intern at the Finger Lakes Institute. |
Although she currently prioritizes her academic pursuits, she has also continued with her creative interests. Upon returning home after a shortened semester due to the COVID-19 outbreak, her increased free time allowed her to start her small earring business, Stones on Main.
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Stones on Main: Founded by Sophia Shaw, Stones on Main sells custom, handmade earrings made of wire and semi-precious stones. The business gained momentum as potential customers viewed options on Sophia's Instagram page. All earrings are custom-made with various sizes and stone preferences. Earrings are $10 with an additional $3 shipping fee. Shipping is free with the purchase of two or more pairs. All earrings are made with sterling silver metal, but as local stores open with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Sophia hopes to introduce gold wiring. |
Sample Earrings from the Stones on Main Collection
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Jillian Crocetta, Sanctuary’s 2020 summer intern, spoke with Sophia about her newly launched jewelry company, Stones on Main, some challenges she’s faced, and advice for other young entrepreneurs.
What inspired you to start your business during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I started making earrings for fun during quarantine. I posted a picture of just the earring hoop beaded with stones (without the earring attachment) on my Instagram story and captioned it 'I’m crafting.' I didn’t think it would go anywhere because I wasn’t initially crafting these earrings for business. But several followers reached out to me after viewing my Instagram story, encouraging me to sell my product.
How did you become a jewelry maker?
I had never done anything like jewelry making before, but it shows you how brutal quarantine boredom can be. I wanted to teach myself how to make earrings, so I started out with simple designs. From there, it was trial and error until I perfected the craft.
How did you come up with the name for your company?
My dad helped me come up with the name. We thought about incorporating the quarantine into the business name, but I didn’t want my company to solely be associated with a dark time. I also really wanted to emphasize the stones since they are the part that makes my business unique. My dad suggested Sophie’s Stones, but we later decided on Stones on Main [named after the historic Main Street in Canandaigua, New York].
Did you always want to be a business owner?
Being a business owner came up time and time again. When I was young, I would go door-to-door selling homemade greeting cards - I even made some pretty decent money from it! [However, Sophia fell into her current business due to circumstances surrounding the pandemic]. Making earrings started as more of a hobby to keep myself productive during quarantine. It later developed into a business.
What inspired you to start your business during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I started making earrings for fun during quarantine. I posted a picture of just the earring hoop beaded with stones (without the earring attachment) on my Instagram story and captioned it 'I’m crafting.' I didn’t think it would go anywhere because I wasn’t initially crafting these earrings for business. But several followers reached out to me after viewing my Instagram story, encouraging me to sell my product.
How did you become a jewelry maker?
I had never done anything like jewelry making before, but it shows you how brutal quarantine boredom can be. I wanted to teach myself how to make earrings, so I started out with simple designs. From there, it was trial and error until I perfected the craft.
How did you come up with the name for your company?
My dad helped me come up with the name. We thought about incorporating the quarantine into the business name, but I didn’t want my company to solely be associated with a dark time. I also really wanted to emphasize the stones since they are the part that makes my business unique. My dad suggested Sophie’s Stones, but we later decided on Stones on Main [named after the historic Main Street in Canandaigua, New York].
Did you always want to be a business owner?
Being a business owner came up time and time again. When I was young, I would go door-to-door selling homemade greeting cards - I even made some pretty decent money from it! [However, Sophia fell into her current business due to circumstances surrounding the pandemic]. Making earrings started as more of a hobby to keep myself productive during quarantine. It later developed into a business.
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How long does it take for you to make a set of earrings?
It takes me about 40 minutes to make a pair of earrings. When the packaging of my product is included, it takes me about an hour. I package each set of earrings individually, and they come on a cardboard earring holder that I custom design. Can you explain your process? First, I take the stones out and I sort them, portioning how many I will need. Because I use raw cut stones, which are stones that vary in shape and size, it is sometimes tricky to sort which stones will fit on the earring hoop I am using. I’ve gotten the sizing down by measuring with a ruler; that was one of the more difficult parts I had to teach myself. Using the ruler, I can determine the length of the wire and that helps me determine the hoop size. I got this advice from my mom, who also makes jewelry and sells it at a local boutique. Then, I use wire working tools to close the ends [of the hoop] and attach the hoop to the earring hooks. I try them on to make sure they hang evenly and then clean them thoroughly with alcohol. Once the earrings are entirely assembled, I shape the hoop and smooth the wire by hand. |
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Have you had any challenges/setbacks you’d like to share?
It was definitely a setback that stores weren’t open because of the pandemic. I really wanted to support local businesses and didn’t want to buy my stones from big chains. Because of that, I had to go on a brief pause until I could get more stones. Also, a personal challenge of mine was self-doubt. I had a bit of imposter syndrome, especially because I taught myself the skill. This led me to send customers photos of the earrings to double-check if they liked the finished product before I shipped them out. There were times I had to scrap an entire pair of earrings because the customer wanted more stones beaded or wanted the hoop size to be bigger or smaller!
Any advice you’d like to offer other aspiring, young businesswomen?
One piece of advice I’ll give is to lead with confidence because this was my biggest struggle. People [customers] are drawn to that confidence. I would also tell aspiring businesswomen to go into business doing something that they’re really interested in. I create these earrings because I genuinely like doing it. I would often stay up really late creating them, simultaneously tackling schoolwork [when the spring semester was still in session] or summer research, but it was definitely worth the late nights.
What does the future for Stones on Main look like?
The future for Stones on Main is open. Right now, I sell my earrings on Instagram. I am considering expanding the business by opening an Etsy Store. I have also considered reaching out to True Lily Boutique [located in Canandaigua, NY] where my mom currently sells her homemade jewelry. But I've since found out that boutiques like True Lily want unique products only sold at their store, so I have come to terms with the fact that I might not be able to do both. While selling my product at a boutique would give me an opportunity to make earrings that aren’t custom-ordered, I do like the truly individualized aspect of the custom orders. It’s part of what makes Stones on Main so unique. I would love to be a part of a boutique’s brand, but I want to be able to continue my business on Instagram for custom orders.
Where do you find sanctuary?
I find sanctuary in my house with my family. We recently moved into a historic home with a lot of character. It has a plaque on the outside marking when it was built - 1860. I consider it my sanctuary because it has the remodeled interior with my parents’ style of redecorating, but it still feels like it has a lot of its original bones, which makes me feel really connected to our house and our town’s history. It has especially offered me sanctuary during the pandemic and self-isolation practices.
It was definitely a setback that stores weren’t open because of the pandemic. I really wanted to support local businesses and didn’t want to buy my stones from big chains. Because of that, I had to go on a brief pause until I could get more stones. Also, a personal challenge of mine was self-doubt. I had a bit of imposter syndrome, especially because I taught myself the skill. This led me to send customers photos of the earrings to double-check if they liked the finished product before I shipped them out. There were times I had to scrap an entire pair of earrings because the customer wanted more stones beaded or wanted the hoop size to be bigger or smaller!
Any advice you’d like to offer other aspiring, young businesswomen?
One piece of advice I’ll give is to lead with confidence because this was my biggest struggle. People [customers] are drawn to that confidence. I would also tell aspiring businesswomen to go into business doing something that they’re really interested in. I create these earrings because I genuinely like doing it. I would often stay up really late creating them, simultaneously tackling schoolwork [when the spring semester was still in session] or summer research, but it was definitely worth the late nights.
What does the future for Stones on Main look like?
The future for Stones on Main is open. Right now, I sell my earrings on Instagram. I am considering expanding the business by opening an Etsy Store. I have also considered reaching out to True Lily Boutique [located in Canandaigua, NY] where my mom currently sells her homemade jewelry. But I've since found out that boutiques like True Lily want unique products only sold at their store, so I have come to terms with the fact that I might not be able to do both. While selling my product at a boutique would give me an opportunity to make earrings that aren’t custom-ordered, I do like the truly individualized aspect of the custom orders. It’s part of what makes Stones on Main so unique. I would love to be a part of a boutique’s brand, but I want to be able to continue my business on Instagram for custom orders.
Where do you find sanctuary?
I find sanctuary in my house with my family. We recently moved into a historic home with a lot of character. It has a plaque on the outside marking when it was built - 1860. I consider it my sanctuary because it has the remodeled interior with my parents’ style of redecorating, but it still feels like it has a lot of its original bones, which makes me feel really connected to our house and our town’s history. It has especially offered me sanctuary during the pandemic and self-isolation practices.
