We were lucky to catch up with Caroline Justice Schmidt recently and have shared our conversation below.
Caroline Justice , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
My mother played a major role in the development of my self-esteem. She was always telling me that I was beautiful, strong and intelligent. She created an environment that let me flourish and be whatever I wanted to be without pushing me to be anything else or do anything I was not interested in. Whenever my self confidence got bruised, she was always there to not only heal it but build it back up again.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Justice Rae’s is is a small locally owned wicker peacock chair rental company in the Charlotte, NC area. We now have over 35 different sizes and styles of vintage chairs in the collection and we have recently expanded to lounge style seating area setups for weddings and other events.
*Fun Fact: One of our very first Emmanuelle style chairs was used as a set prop in a Hollywood movie. Look for it in the film based on a Judy Blume novel titled “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” that was recently in theaters!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I did have to initially do a lot of research on vintage wicker peacock chairs and how to restore them and repair them. Always learning more about your current market and current trends is one good skill to keep sharpened. Another good quality would be an almost obsessive eye for detail when doing floral on the chairs and setting things up for events. You always want to strive for perfection when working with others on the day of their special event!
Lastly, I am a little shy in social situations but I do try to always connect with other vendors at events and have met so many creative people in the event industry.
My advice to those early in their entrepreneurship journey is to keep going! You will learn from mistakes (we all make them) and meet people along the way who will help you in your career.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always looking for people in the event industry to collaborate with. From balloon designers, to florists, and even venue owners. It helps to know what is offered in the Charlotte and it’s surrounding areas. There are so many talented people I have already met and I know there will be more to come in the future. Message me on Instagram or send an email if you want to collab!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://justiceraesvintage.wixsite.com/justiceraes-1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justice.raes
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/justiceraes
Image Credits
Allison Claire Imagery
