Meet Cheryl Poe

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cheryl Poe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cheryl, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

Keeping creativity alive can be a real challenge when you feel the need to be constantly coming up with new and exciting ideas and designs. Seeing the creativity and ingenuity of other designers and makers is really helpful and inspiring. Everyone has a different process and I find it fascinating. It can be a fantastic learning opportunity and a great way to get out of a creative rut by experimenting with different techniques and mediums. There is no limit to how creative people can be and I’m constantly amazed by the genius of other people and it truly inspires me and keeps my creativity alive.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I do a handful of things under my business, Unseamly Threads. Alterations and mending are a big part of my business and I love helping people love their clothes longer. Sometimes I even have customers come to me with a clothing item that has a great fabric but they don’t love the item itself so we come up with a way to make it into something new that they will love and actually wear. Upcycling is my favorite thing to do so it’s always exciting for me to do a project like that. In addition to alterations, I make handmade clothing and accessories using mostly upcycled materials. I strive to be size inclusive in what I create because everyone deserves to look and feel cute! My handmade items can be found on my website and at occasional pop ups. I spend approximately every other Saturday at Retro Vixen boutique to meet customers for alterations and I post that schedule on my Instagram and Facebook pages.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

One of the most important skills on any journey is the ability to listen and process what others say. Be true to yourself and you vision, but take into account what other people are looking for and what they think can be improved upon. It’s imperative for growth in business and in life.

Another skill that is important, but can be difficult, is confidence. Not only confidence in what you are making or selling, but confidence in yourself as well. If you believe in yourself and what you are doing, others will too.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice. People are generally willing to help and in the small business community especially, everyone is really supportive and excited to hear about new ventures. Something that my mom always tells me when I’m nervous to reach out to someone or ask for help is “The worst they can say is no.” That has helped me so many times and I’ve had some great opportunities from simply taking that first step.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Right now my biggest obstacle is getting my name out there and having enough business to do this full time. My friends at Retro Vixen are such an incredible help to me in spreading the word about my business and I’m so grateful to them! I also find that going to coffee shops and places that have areas for business cards can be a great way to get customers. It can be hard to promote yourself, but I’m working on getting better at it and simply going into businesses and introducing myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://unseamlythreads.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unseamly_threads/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551720096084