September 8, 2020

Meet Carsen Johnson of Ekklesia Elegance

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carsen Johnson.

Carsen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
First, I’ve always loved fashion and every aspect of it and it’s always been a dream of mine to own a boutique and a family clothing store. My mother and grandmother(my maternal grandmother) have always played a big part in my love for fashion!! My grandmother wore beautiful ensembles, fur coats and some of the most beautiful hats I’d ever laid eyes on! My mother is pretty much the same way, but with a classic and whimsical style of dressing, I love them both!!

I had to go to Hobby Lobby(a crafts store) one day and I stopped by the jewelry/beading aisle and looked at the beads and thought how pretty!! Then I thought, I could probably make some jewelry, then thought no it’ll be too hard and almost walked away and I turn to look at the beading again and God said, “IT’S IN YOUR HANDS!!” I said, “God I can’t make no jewelry!” He said it again, “IT’S IN YOUR HANDS!!” ( Now this is usually encouragement I give to friends about their talents or gifts but had never apply to myself) I said, ok God, grabbed a couple of know how booklets and went home. I called my husband and told him what happened. He asked me how much I needed to get started and sent me money through cash app! I got on YouTube and looked at the booklets, it took me two days to learn how to make jewelry!

The following Sunday I wore a set I had made, I was really proud of it and thought it was so pretty, no one said anything about it though. My pastor, Apostle Kobee Fitzgerald had finished his message and started encouraging the women of our ministry that their wealth was in their hands (we have very talented gifted and creative women in our ministry), I got so excited because that’s what God had just said to me the week before!! I raised my hand to get his attention (something I never really did) because I knew I had to confirm what he was saying!! I did and he asked me if I made the said that I had on, I said, “YES!!” and on the spot he bought it for his wife, our pastor, Katenia Fitzgerald!! I took orders that day after church and the rest is as they say, history!! I thank God for their push, words of encouragement and purchases!! I also thank God for my church family who were my biggest supporters when I started, there is no place quite like EKKLESIA MINISTRIES!! Now over a year later, I’ve made and sold almost 3,000 pieces!! If I had not stepped out on faith during a trying time in my life, my business wouldn’t be in existence today!!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
First, it was challenging to keep up with the demand of orders and not have clients waiting 2-3 weeks!! Right out the gate, I had gathered enough orders for a whole month but I stayed up almost 24 hours several times to meet deadlines for orders. Being a wife and mother of three and one of them at that time a two years old was difficult to juggle with this new job that I had and working from home! Vendor’s events came knocking on my door quickly!! People really love the product and quality, but it takes 4 to 6 hours to make one “regular” ladies 3pc set so I had to learn to pace myself to handle everything that I was responsible for! It’s a ladies, men/ boys and girl’s jewelry line so I had to teach my teenagers how to make jewelry to help keep up with orders and events! It’s stressful on my body at times as well, being that I was recovering from a broken and dislocated ankle when I first started, it was hard to sit up and put pressure on my feet to be planted in one place for hours and because the products are so detailed, my vision crosses yo sometimes. It’s a demanding business and craft.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ekklesia Elegance – what should we know?
My business is Ekklesia Elegance “JEWELRY AS UNIQUE AS YOU ARE” it’s a Ladies, Men’s and Girl’s jewelry line that is all handmade! We specialize mostly in big bauble ladies 3pc sets and men’s dress bracelets. Ekklesia Elegance is best known for beautiful ladies 2, 3 or 4pc sets. I’m most proud of everything being made by hand!! I never thought I would be making anything as pertains to fashion, but I’m loving every bit of it!! The things that set us apart is everything being handmade, every piece or set is named according color meaning, to scripture (the Bible) and prayed over according to the name!! The creativity also sets us apart!! I have a tag line that says, “Remember there’s no limit to God’s creativity”!! And if you really think about it there isn’t!!

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The quality and characteristics that make it successful is the amount of time that is put into every piece of jewelry!! It’s boutique and department store quality!! People also love where I live (the Bible belt) in the south, that it’s prayed over and have names of encouragement!

Pricing:

Ladies 2, 3, 4pc sets $25-$200 depending on beading
Men’s bracelets $10-$25 necklaces $35 -$45
Girl’s jewelry $5-$20

Contact Info:

Phone: 2563947245
Email: mscarsen33@gmail.com
Facebook: Carsen Johnson

Image Credit:
Myself, Carsen Johnson and Kayla Casey

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.