We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adrienne Wiley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Adrienne, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I get my work ethic from my Dad. He always worked hard to provide for me and my mom. Starting as a UPS driver at 16, he worked up to a district manager by the time he retired at 50. This upward mobility was a rare accomplishment at the time as we lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and he was one of only two black managers in his region. So, I saw my dad work hard, be wise with money, and be resourceful. These are traits that I’m proud to have received from him and that have served me well in my life. I started my jewelry business in Atlanta in 2005 while working at a Fortune 500 insurance company. I began making jewelry and selling it to my co-workers as a creative outlet. One day, someone suggested I sell to boutiques, but I had no idea how to begin. So, I started taking my jewelry to stores in the area to get feedback and see if they wanted to carry my pieces. Over the first year, I sold my jewelry in over 100 stores – all because I took the initiative and went into shops across Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. After that first year, I decided this was a viable enough career path to quit my day job. However, few people were creative entrepreneurs then, so my parents and friends worried about me leaving a presumably stable job to pursue my dreams. On my last day at the office, I sent an email to my co-workers from my Hotmail account (that’s how long ago this was (lol), and it said, “Either you’ll see my jewelry on the pages of InStyle or I’ll be folding khaki’s at the GAP, either way here’s how to get in touch with me.”
The first thing I did after leaving my corporate job was to find a creative studio. Though I couldn’t afford an actual studio in the building I wanted, I inquired about renting a 10×10 utility closet for $250 a month. I made it into a cute studio space and started holding jewelry-making classes to help me make ends meet while I grew the business.
Next, I signed up for my first trade show. It was a bust because I was in a low-traffic spot with the cheaper booth spaces. The next time I did a show, I secured a better placement to set myself up for success. After that, “I was off to the races”. Fast forward a few years, my husband and I moved to San Francisco, where I kept growing the business. By 2010, I was up to 900 stores carrying my jewelry, including working with brands such as Anthropologie and Madewell. I also had the joy of seeing my jewelry grace the pages of InStyle, In Touch Weekly, Lucky, Essence, and many other publications that were popular at the time. It felt good to realize the lofty goal I had jokingly set for myself when I left my corporate job.
They say, “If you love what you do, you’ll never have to work a day in your life,” but I think that’s only partially true. Being an entrepreneur is hard work, but seeing the fruits of your labor and sustained growth is extremely rewarding. I will say that bootstrapping my business with about $500 made me very scrappy and resourceful. I firmly believe in following my intuition, taking calculated risks, and not walking past any open doors that seem to be there for a reason. That way of thinking and a strong work ethic has served me well over the years.
At one point over the last 15 years, I had three retail stores in San Francisco, two outposts in Palm Springs, and a couple of pop-up stores in London. I also did seventeen wholesale trade shows yearly to meet the needs of the 900 stores carrying my jewelry. I look back and wonder how I did all that and still had time for a personal life (lol). Around 2018, I shifted and focused the business more on retail and less on wholesale tradeshows because I was getting burnt out with the travel. Then, COVID brought about another shift in 2020, and I learned to prioritize self-care and not just “go, go, go.” In August 2020, we moved to Palm Springs California full-time, where I now have one retail location, and I service most of my wholesale customers through online showrooms. I maintain a strong work ethic but have a much better work-life balance. I look back at my accomplishments with pride and excitedly look forward to the future.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am the owner of a jewelry and lifestyle boutique, Covet Palm Springs. I design all of the jewelry in the store and most recently we launched a solid gold jewelry line called the Elsewhere Collection because it’s created with charms and findings from my travels. We also offer a charm bar where you can create your own necklaces, a permanent jewelry bar, and a hat bar where you can customize felt and woven hats with an array of different accents. The store expanded twice last year, so I’m excited to have more space than ever for our handcrafted jewelry and a curated selection of artisan gifts and accessories from independent makers around the world.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Taking calculated risks to grow- Make sure you’re always evolving and takes risks but make sure they’re not so huge that you’re risking the health of your overall business.
Put Systems In Place- Good systems can literally change the way you do business and your ability to scale. One of the best investments I’ve made was hiring a coach to help me streamline operations at the shop. It has allowed me develop so many other areas of the business.
Diversify your revenue streams- Another key part of me growing my business was having different revenue streams. I was doing retail markets, wholesale tradeshows, and also speaking at conferences. All of these things helped keep my finances balanced and funded the brick and mortar retail in the beginning.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My parents did so many things for me. but one of the most impactful has to be giving me the freedom to explore my creativity as a young adult. I feel it helped me have the courage to trust my gut and follow a creative path as a career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://covetps.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/covet_ps
Image Credits
Elise Apffel – Jewelry Photos Hope Leigh- Photos of me
