Meet Jessica Gandarilla | Owner of Lovely Little Crafter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Gandarilla and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The thought process of starting my own business was that I wanted a creative outlet, I wanted to do something that I was passionate about and where I could potentially quit my job at the time and stay home to raise my little boy. I started my business in 2015 on Etsy and over the years it has evolved from making wreaths, to party decorations and then sublimation tumblers and custom badge reels. I really love being creative and learning different crafts. I then started doing craft fairs around my city and also doing the bigger events such as fairs and festivals. You can now find my items in a retail store on Lancaster Blvd called Glitz Sparkle. I’m so proud to be given the opportunity to sell my handmade items in retail.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m most excited about starting this new journey joining Glitz Sparkle. It’s a cute boutique off of Lancaster Blvd and it is showcasing over small handmade businesses in the city in a retail setting. I can’t wait to see what it holds for all of us. I have had my struggles when it comes to pushing forward with my business. I struggle with mental health. It’s very important to me to give myself days off for self-care and sometimes it could be more time off than I originally had planned. I feel like it’s important to say that “it’s ok, it’s ok not to be ok” I gather myself and push forward.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in the high desert so there is not much to do up here, I would take my friend out to dinner one night and do Mexican food, drinks and some karaoke and after that there is a Dj so then we’d do some dancing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My son Jordan has always been a huge factor in my success in my business. I want him to see all his moms hard work and dedication. I want him to see that if you work hard, you can do something that you are passionate about. He’s there with me at events already trying to sell his little heart out. I would also like to shout out my boyfriend Brandon for helping me get started in my business and help getting me set up. Another person I’d like to shout out is Sandy. Sandy is always there for me with words of encouragement, she is also a small business owner, and she always pushes me to never give up, don’t listen to the haters and always push forward. and lastly if it wasn’t for my friend Heather, I wouldn’t have found my love for being creative. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart. ‘

Website: www.lovelylittlecrafter.etsy.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lovelylittlecrafter

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lovelylittlecrafter