Sweet Artemisia: friendship to small business
Every plant and creature needs its ideal environment to thrive. Not too hot, not too cold — that’s the conditions an Artemisia flower tends to grow. In bed with Netflix on for hours and crochet needles in hand is how University of Minnesota Duluth student Emma Thomas tends to create.
Thomas, along with friend Abby Voss, creates accessories and jewelry to be sold on their Instagram page Sweet Artemisia. Pieces range from intricate gemstone rings and earrings to crocheted and embroidered clothes.
Thomas is a sophomore at UMD, originally from Maple Grove, studying marketing and graphic design. Voss is in her final year at Lake Superior College (LSC) and plans to attend UMD in the future for the English program.
The name of their page comes from the Artemisia flower. They chose the name because Thomas wanted to find something botanical and enjoys the flower.
Sweet Artemisia was created by two creative friends to have an outlet and maybe make a few bucks on the side.
The pair were not friends before the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. Voss saw Thomas’s Instagram profile and decided to message her. After getting to know each other for a while, they discovered they had some similar artistic interests and decided to start their Instagram page in October.
Voss got her creative start at eight years old when she learned to crochet.
“I’ve been making little things ever since I was young,” Voss said. “I make hats and stuff for Christmas.”
Thomas said she has always been creative and that her high school experience was at a creative art center.
“I do a lot of different [art],” Thomas said. “I get bored just doing one thing.”
Sweet Artemisia sells rings, earrings and crocheted items. Gemstone rings are an original item and scrunchies are a newer addition to the page. Voss primarily makes the rings, while Thomas does the crochet work.
Voss said the ideas come from thinking about what her friends create or even just what she would like to wear.
“I take inspiration from them,” Voss said. “What would I like to wear?”
Thomas said her favorite piece she has made is a hat with cat ears and she even made a matching one for her cat.
Voss and Thomas both stated Instagram is an easy and effective way to run a business that doesn’t have a website or brick and mortar store.
There are websites for selling homemade goods, such as Etsy, however, Etsyit takes a percentage from creators. According to Etsy’s “Learn How to Sell” page, they take a 5% transaction fee, a 3% plus twenty-five cent payment processing fee and every listing costs twenty cents.
Instagram doesn’t charge any fees to be a basic account. Sweet Artemisia simply posts photos of the products they want to sell and interested buyers send them a message saying they are interested.
Despite only having the page for a little over a month, the duo has 224 followers and, according to Thomas, they’ve made about $100.
“Right now it is kind of on the side,” Voss said. “It’d be great if it was to go somewhere, but I don’t think either of us are really expecting that.”
Thomas agreed there was no real plan for it.
“This is something we can do for fun and it can get us a little bit of extra income,” Thomas said.
Find Sweet Artemisia on Instagram as they are always updating their page with new pieces and products.