Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Chua.
Hi Angie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m a great example of how it’s never too late to find what you want to be when you grow up. At 36, I decided to leave my advertising career and dive headfirst into my small artisan business, taking my side hustle into my full-time dream job.
I’m an illustrator and maker at heart. I love creating, being creative, and trying all forms of artistic mediums. After much trial and error, tears, and dollars, I found my passion in stationery design, specifically creating travel-themed stationery.
Fast forward five years later, and I have one of the best-selling travel journals on the market; the Wanderlust Passport Travel Journal, a thriving shop where I design and create travel and wanderlust-themed stationery, and a brick-and-mortar stationery shop, bobo Palm Springs where I curate a selection of women-of-color artisans, queer brands, and rare goods from Japan.
Alright, 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 road to success for a small business is ever-winding, riddled with potholes, uphill and downhill, and never-ending. To assume your entrepreneurial journey will be smooth is a fool’s wish. The challenges and struggles are what give us experience, make us better problem solvers, give us the grit we need to persevere, and while challenging, a necessary part of growth to success.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m the founder, heart, and soul of bobo design studio and bobo Palm Springs Stationery Shop. At bobo, we aim to inspire and enable people to build deeper connections to their experiences in a creative and analog way.
My stationery line, bobo design studio, focuses on enabling and inspiring people to explore the world around them and to document their experiences. We create travel-themed stationery that helps folks connect to their experiences, memories, and adventures offline and in a meaningful way. My flagship product is the Wanderlust Passport Travel Journal which has been sold out three times and used by thousands of travelers all over the world.
My brick-and-mortar shop in Palm Springs, bobo Palm Springs, celebrates all things paper, stationery, pens, and stickers from incredible women of color artisans, queer brands, and rare goods from Japan.
In addition to the stationery line and store, I’m also a freelance artist and muralist.
Of all the work I’ve done, I’m most proud of the community that has supported me. To have people come to my store and dedicate travel plans to visit us in person. To the travelers around the world who have used our products and invited us along on their adventures and allowing them to connect better to those experiences, and to the people who take photos with my public art or enjoy the artwork I have created for other brands- that is the currency for which I determine success.
Contact Info:
- Website: bobodesignstudio.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/bobodesignstudio. instagram.com/bobopalmsprings
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtcZw__2FHGu9_bbtjz-Buw
Image Credits
Second photo is David Potter: https://www.instagram.com/xenostatolith/
