We’re looking forward to introducing you to Rebecca Dolber. Check out our conversation below.
Rebecca, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Rest. Artist and founder of Nap Ministry, Tricia Hersey, revolutionized my thinking about this. Her work and my becoming a mother facilitated a “stepping off the wheel” a bit and embracing a world that exists outside work and a to-do list. We’re taught so early that success and achievement are only attainable through nose-grinding and endless pursuit–and in a certain sense, I suppose that’s true. But more than ever, I’m questioning what success and achievement look like, especially as systems and paradigms shift and fail. It feels amazing and exactly right.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Sure. I grew up on the East End of Long Island combing the beach for treasure and holding sales at the end of my driveway! After studying sociology and film at Manhattanville College, I drove cross country to California with hopes of becoming famous but after one fun summer, I moved home and started a life in New York City working in television production on Law and Order SVU. It was there I leaned into my love of making things. My small room in a shared West Village apartment was teaming with found-object wall hangings and knotted necklaces made with the beads I bought on 7th Avenue. It was at a friend’s insistence that I sign up for a street fair to sell some of it, and with that, my future as a business owner and jewelry maker quickly unfurled.
In 2010, I moved back to Eastern Long Island to focus on building my business. I always say that was when I traded late nights and cold beer, for early mornings and hot coffee. At art shows, street fairs, pop-ups and festivals, I spent the next ten years on the road building a following of loyal customers.
In 2017, I opened my first retail space inside another local small business, Silly Lily Fishing Station. Silly Lily was a place to rent boats, grab lunch and hangout on the bay, and my jewelry fit the vibe perfectly. But then came 2020. Newly married, newly mortgaged, and 8-weeks pregnant, Covid shut the world, Silly Lilly, and every street fair in America down.
With my back against a wall, I took out a small business loan and moved my business to an empty Main Street storefront. I’ve since made the space into my permanent studio where I manufacture my wholesale jewelry line and host workshops, classes, parties and personalized design sessions. I also have growing collection of vintage and antiques that’s made its way to the space. Collecting has always been a hobby of mine and I’m loving making space for it in my studio. Mostly though, 426 Main Street is where I can hold space for customers to be introspective and help them translate their memories, milestones, and personal mantras into jewelry. The experience is truly more than a purchase; it’s an opportunity to connect over the moments that define us. I believe community is built in small moments like these, by investing in one another with gentleness and compassion.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I’m lucky that I’ve had a few of these moments. I think it’s a good sign when your world shifts in this way because it means you’re growing. If I had to pick one though, I’d say Hurricane Katrina. I was 24 years old and it was the first time I saw racism in American in a way I couldn’t unsee. That moment and the subsequent “recovery” showed me that racism is not only systemic but systematic.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
Music. I would be dead if not for music. I was and can still be a bit of a loner, so as a child, I felt a lot of comfort and companionship in song. It was a way to explore worlds outside my own but also feel seen through lyrics that reflected my own emotions and feelings. There’s something about the experience of a live show too that gives me a felt sense of community, like my cells are vibrating at the same frequency as everyone else’s or something. It’s totally my church.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Capitalism relies on exponential growth and a lot of unpaid labor, not only from the worker but also from the people and communities that support them. I think the biggest lie any for-profit business or industry tells itself is true cost of doing business under this system.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
I think I understand that most people just want to feel seen and heard. So much of my business is listening to people and creating space for them to feel seen. When people tell me about their trials and experiences, and then I come back to them with a piece of jewelry that encapsulates those stories, there’s an energetic exchange that’s almost indescribable, but the whole point to being in communion with another person. It’s not enough to be in the same room. People want to be understood, truly understood. When that happens, anything is possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.RebeccaDolber.com
- Instagram: @rebeccadolber
Image Credits
Rebecca Dolber
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