Meet Natalie McGowan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie McGowan. 

Hi Natalie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Around 3rd or 4th grade, my grandma started teaching me to crochet. She taught me all of the basic stitches and simple patterns. I was terrible at it; all of my blankets were tiny and uneven but I loved doing it. After a few years I gave it up for a while, it just seemed like it wasn’t something “cool” to do for my age and more of a thing only your grandma would do. I practiced a little again in high school by making a few purses and blankets. I stopped crocheting again for a while until after I had my son. When my son was little, I really wanted something to do that would help the time go by while he was sleeping. I started slow and made simple items, like scarves and hats. An aunt of mine talked to a woman she met who owned a boutique in downtown GR (Dime and Regal) and this is where I first got into selling my items. I only made scarves at the time for her shop but I was always buying yarn and trying out new patterns. For a couple years I only sold in her boutique and finally decided to end my time at the boutique and with the encouragement from my friends/family) to start an Etsy shop in early 2018 as Elysian Crochet. I didn’t have much in the shop just my scarves and I really didn’t sell anything on there. I thought it would just be easy but I learned quickly that I would need to put a lot more work into it. I felt a little discouraged and that maybe it just wasn’t the right thing for me to do. I put my Etsy shop on hold and didn’t touch it really at all. I still crocheted though… I crocheted all the time now. I would always come home and sit down and start making something it was and still is my happy place and is what relaxes me. In the fall of 2019, I was accepted for my first craft show. I’ll admit I didn’t do well at all at this craft show, I didn’t do my research on it very well and after doing it realized that it was just not the show for me. I met another crocheter there though at helped me to get on a list with other artist to alert me of upcoming shows. So, at the end of the day, it still felt like I won because I was finally taking steps to getting my handmade work out there. I started thinking around that time that the name I had just didn’t fit me, it felt like that maybe because the name of my business wasn’t me and that may be why I didn’t put a lot of effort into it. It took me until February 2020 to set on a name that felt more like a business I could firmly stand behind, that’s when I rebranded myself as Nat by Design. It just felt more like it was my business now and something I was excited about. 2020 I had started signing up for more craft shows and was super excited to really get my business going, but when covid hit I wasn’t able to do that craft shows. I was a little disappointed but told myself that I will just revamp my Etsy show and put more effort into it. I started making some sales on it, it was slow but I was getting something out there. I wanted more to happen with it but with working a full-time job and being a single parent, it was just a side hobby that I would make a few sales on. It was my dream to be able to do it full time but I was also happy with just being able to make a few sales and hope that sometime soon I could do craft shows again. In 2021 when everything started to open up again the signups for craft shows started coming out and I JUMPED on that opportunity. I signed up for at least 5 shows last year. I learned a lot from all of them and I had so much fun. My friends and family supported me through all of them and would hang out with me during all of them. In early 2022 I really wanted to push myself to make more sales and be able to make more from my Etsy so I could fully support my son and myself and feel like at some point in my life I could finally be able to buy my own home. I had made the giant mushroom pillow for myself at the end of 2021 only because I thought they were the coolest thing ever and I thought maybe sometime I could sell a few at my craft shows. I posted them to an art group thinking ‘oh these are so cool I must show them off!’ And that’s where they took off! People were going crazy for it; I was nervous about it but so excited. Not only were people pumped for the mushrooms but it also helped my other items get the love they deserved. It’s been a crazy couple of months but it has been worth it and I can’t wait to see how well it goes this year!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a pretty bumpy road so far; I’m still learning and trying to juggle working a full-time job and being a single mom while also now making my hobby a full-time job. I’m just taking everything one day at a time.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Everything I make is crocheted, at the moment my most popular item is my mushroom pillows. I am proud of all of the items that I make and I will also be working to make new items and perfect them.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was painfully shy growing up. I honestly didn’t come out of my shell until I was about 26. So, I loved anything to do with reading or anything where I had to minimal talking to people. I’m still a little reserved at times but I’ve really grown!

Pricing:

• Large mushroom pillow- $125
• Mini mushroom pillow- $27

Contact Info:

• Email: natbydesignshop@gmail.com
• Website: www.Etsy.com/shop/natbydesignshop
• Instagram: www.Instagram.com/natby_design
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/natbydesignshop