How did I get here?
My name is Sari Rachel, my parents call me Sari Rae of sunshine. I am a dog mom to two of the most wondrous rescue pups named Larson and Gemma. We, along with my partner Kyle, live in Falmouth, Maine just a mile from the ocean. My studio is based out of my home where I spend my days creating and crafting, gardening and cooking, and overall just living a beautiful coastal Maine life.
My first exposure to metalsmithing was when I was about 15 years old in my hometown of Boothbay Harbor. I worked at the local jewelry store, where I learned how to solder jump rings onto charm bracelets and how to hand forge small sterling silver items. That creativity and knowledge stuck with me, itching the back of my mind softly for years to come as I finished my college degree in Business at the University of Maine in Orono and Portland.
I moved to Portland, Maine in 2013 and started to experiment in different mediums; food, sewing, fiber, painting, candles, soap, you name it, I've probably tried my hand at it. It wasn't until 2017 that I started to sell my goods publicly at a local coffee shop in South Portland and I started to take custom orders. This first rendition of my business was named Ginger & Sloane after my two grandmothers. I also had my first website up and running.
Fast forward a couple of job changes, a new apartment, and some time, when that itch started to tickle my creative soul again. It reemerged with simple metal work and macramè over the 2018 holiday season. By January 28th, 2019, I had formed an official LLC and knew for the rest of my life I would always be creating handmade products. By February I was selling my goods in shops again and by March of that year I was teaching local workshops where you made your own macramè plant hangers.
In October of 2019, I left my full time job. It was slightly unplanned and somewhat not fully thought through. This left me in need of a job and income. I did the only thing I could think of and started to apply to all of the local holiday markets to sell my goods. During this time my metalwork began to get more complex and my offerings widened. I started to create a line of 'build your own' polymer clay earrings which were a huge success. I blinked my eyes and it was the end of December. I was in seven successful markets that holiday season and my soul was officially lit on fire. There was no turning back.
Early 2020, I was still hammering away on my dining room table and polishing jewelry in my bath tub (very humbling beginnings) to fill orders. My work had taken over our, let's say 'quaint' 450sf apartment and it was time for me to find a studio space if I wanted this small business thing to work. I signed a studio lease on March 10th, 2020, created my first full jewelry collection by the 13th and on the 15th I had my first professional photoshoot. Things felt like they were really going to work out, or so I thought.
Fast forward to today, after a whole ocean full of tears, blood, and sweat, I am proud to say I am still fully self employed and am diving head first into all of my creative itches. My offerings are always changing and ever evolving depending on my season of life. I am surrounded by the most supportive and beautiful community and I owe it all to them.