Joint Jewels

Junior Lexi Pfeffer was browsing through goods and apparel at local trade store, Scout, when she came across an ad for local artists to sell their work. Pfeffer immediately spotted an opportunity and recognized it a chance to expand her talents for jewelry making to a larger scale – a commission based business.

“I retail my hand-made jewelry through Scout who buys my pieces and resells them to their customers. They include the branding and display in the store,” Pfeffer said.

Scout is a goods and trade store in Dundee that emphasizes quality fashion, art, and design that’s affordable and accessible for well-traveled customers.

“Scout works with local artists and artisans to sell different products that they find desirable. I had to go through a one month screening to ensure that my products were worthy of sale,” Pfeffer said.

After the first two weeks of testing, Pfeffer’s prototypes were nearly sold out and Scout eagerly asked for more stock to display in the store. Although she doesn’t create her pieces geared to satisfy a certain target, her preferences often match up with the customers who shop at Scout.

“I usually create my pieces to tailor my own preferences, but I do have somewhat of a demographic in mind. I know my target market is younger women and men, but my design usually just ends up depending on the piece I’m making,” Pfeffer said.

Currently, Pfeffer works with scout as a co-business where she receives 60% of the revenue from the original price. However, Pfeffer explains that her creations are more than about making profit.

“I don’t do it for the money. It’s definitely a good addition, don’t get me wrong, but I find jewelry-making much more engaging then watching TV or being on my phone. It’s nice to merge my hobby to a productive cause,” Pfeffer said.

What started as a simple ad in a local store has turned into an immense source of motivation and commitment for Pfeffer. Transforming into a capital enterprise has allowed her to expand her interests through support from an established market.

“It started out as a hobby and grew from there,” Pfeffer said.