Today we’d like to introduce you to Jules Kramer.
Jules, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur. I’ve designed and made a few different product lines in my lifetime. The one that has stuck, to date, is Jules by the Sea, Santa Barbara. It all started when I moved back to Santa Barbara in 2011, so my husband could live his dream of being a city firefighter and my dream of moving back to my college town. About six months in, I was driving on the freeway in Santa Barbara and was rear ended at high speed by a drunk driver. I hit my head on the steering wheel and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. Everything changed at that moment and I knew I was lucky to be alive. I had a concussion and major anxiety. In an effort to heal naturally, the Dr. prescribed me “Long walks on the beach” for 2 hours a day. It seemed silly at the time, but this freedom saved me. I walked and collected sea glass, bags full. I started making jewelry out of the beautiful sea glass I found; and people bought it! Jules by the Sea, Santa Barbara was born in 2012 and has evolved into ocean inspired boho beach jewelry.
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?
The biggest struggle was/is still believing in myself. Were my friends buying my pieces to be nice or was my line viable as a business? Was there room for “another” jewelry maker in town? How was I going to differentiate my brand?
I was given an opportunity in 2015 to rent a table in a collective in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone to try it out. It was well received! I grew from a table, to a store in a store, to an actual store which opened in the fall of 2018 still in the Funk Zone Santa Barbara. I love what I do.
Jules by the Sea, Santa Barbara – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Jules by the sea, my jewelry and beach lifestyle brand, is a channel for me to connect with other humans, engage with them, make beautiful things (people buy my art and then thank me!) and to use art to give back to the community and Mother Earth. Jules by the Sea is part of a store newly renamed The Locals Santa Barbara (formerly Seaside Makers Funk Zone) where I represent and sell other local brands.
I’m known for my passion for life that I infuse into my pieces.
I am most proud of the fact that I define my own success and I am not in this be the next big thing. I’m in it for the artistic release and the human experience. I just want to make enough to keep making pretty things, support my business and other local artists and to keep spreading love. It’s a funny thing to love what you do and to be okay with staying small. It’s a beautiful thing when one can recognize what is enough and what it takes to really revel in “enough”. I think that sets me apart from most other small businesses!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being fluid and constantly evolving. The market is changing by the minute. You have to be ready to be part of the change and provide the service. And, authenticity. I can sniff out a sales person and I don’t like to feel like I am being oversold…so, I try provide a friendly service for customers coming to the Funk Zone for an experience and fun! I love to tell people where to eat, coffee, shop and live like The (lucky) Locals of Santa Barbara.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 805-628-2116
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @julesbytheseasb | @thelocalssb
- Facebook: Julesbytheseasb
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