Meet the Maker - Magda from Twisted Thread & Hook


I was born in Poland and came to US when I was 16 years old. I lived in in New York since then - Brooklyn, Queens, Geneseo and Binghamton. Finally settled in Poughkeepsie, NY when I found a job in my field – computer science. I felt in love with Hudson Valley. I found my husband here and now we have 2 amazing kids. At first, my indie business was a side job – did it when I had some time in the evenings. Then I got a little break from corporate world. Presently, I'm a stay at home mom and working on my indie business part-time and working on growing it bigger and bigger!


I always wished I could do something on my own, be my own boss & take control of my career but could not find the thing I excelled at, loved to do and that had potential to be a sustainable business. And then of course, there was the fear of actually taking that leap into entrepreneurship. One day I came across the wonderful world of online handmade marketplaces. I was inspired to open my own shop since that required very little monetary investment. I always liked crafting. I've been crocheting since I was very young, but I wanted to do something more unique than hats and scarfs. When I found a picture of a handmade rope rug, I felt in love with it. That's how my rope decor business and my rope obsession started - from cotton rugs, to jute mats eventually expending into fleece rugs, curtain tiebacks, baskets and coasters. I love playing with rope and designing new things!


My business originally started as a jewelry shop. I was making crocheted fine thread jewelry. However, I knew that this wasn't it, and once I got to know the handmade marketplace world and get involved in indie community, I found my true calling was in home decor rather than jewelry. My business being rooted by my love of crochet is how I came up with the Twisted Thread and Hook.


One of my obstacles that I'm still trying to overcome is believing in myself. I'm not talking about believing in my product and that there are people who would love it and buy it. I'm pretty sure if I did not have that believe, I would not be running this business. It's more about believing that I've got what it takes to make this business grow bigger. It's about having the courage to approach boutiques and wholesalers and show it to them that my product IS what they need. But with every step, I'm reaching a little further and further. I will prove it to myself that I CAN do it and my little business will not be so little in the future.


I'm very happy to say that my products are being sold in two boutiques. I've had sales coming from different parts of the country, but also from UK and Australia. It puts a huge smile on my face knowing my creations are being enjoyed by many.



In the next few years, I would love to see Twisted Thread and Hook's products in bigger shops, in addition to more mom & pop boutiques. I would love to turn this job into a full time business where I need to hire somebody to do things I enjoy less (like bookkeeping, ugh!) so I can focus on creating!



Sometimes loving your product and making it best you can might not be enough to make it a successful business. I still love my fine thread jewelry and I love making it. However, this was not something that I could see growing big. Make sure there is something unique about what you do & that you can stand out from the masses!

connect with Magda

3 comments:

  1. I love Magda's work! It is such great quality, and I can't wait to own more. Plus her customer service is stellar!

    ReplyDelete
  2. what great items! a very talented woman.
    Debbi
    -YankeeBurrow

    ReplyDelete
  3. Magda is awesome and her work is TOP NOTCH!!! (Pun intended!) She is an absolute sweetheart :) Excellent post! : ) xoxo --Kim

    ReplyDelete