I'm Amy Peterson, and I'm the founder and CEO of Rebel Nell. We’re named for Eleanor Roosevelt, who is the G.O.A.T in my eyes. She was an incredible humanitarian. As a child, her dad gave her the nickname of “Little Nell.” I thought she deserved more kick-ass nickname, so that's how we got the name Rebel Nell.
We also believe that everybody who walks through our doors is rebelling against what life has dealt to them. Knowing how challenged the system is when I started the business, Rebel Nell is a place where we're trying our best to chip away at that by trying to serve the individual, by working to meet them right where they are.
One moment that sticks with me is when we had just started making our product. We did one of our earliest pop-ups, and we couldn't afford a regular booth in a local art fair, so we got one that was very discounted. It was right by the sliding glass doors, and it was so cold on a December day...
I brought the staff with me to help sell. I believe that if you can sell your product it helps you pitch yourself later on. One of our first employees, Patricia, was there with her kids.
A woman came over and saw Patricia’s jewelry and said, “I love this piece.” But the woman was in a hurry and she said, “I'll be back.”
An hour goes by, and this woman finally rushes back to us saying, ”I have to have this piece. It's really speaking to me.” Well, then we told her, “This is made from Detroit graffiti and this is the artist, Patricia.” The woman bought the piece, and said, “This is the best money I've ever spent."
I'll never forget, after the woman left, Patricia collapsed on the floor and just burst into tears. Her kids were comforting her, telling her it was "ok." Patricia said, “No, I know it’s ok, because I made that piece. That was me, I made it." And she turned to me and said, “Amy, I have to go back to the shop. I have to make more.”
That was one of the first times when I realized how important the jewelry making was to the process of the confidence building.
We also believe that everybody who walks through our doors is rebelling against what life has dealt to them. Knowing how challenged the system is when I started the business, Rebel Nell is a place where we're trying our best to chip away at that by trying to serve the individual, by working to meet them right where they are.
One moment that sticks with me is when we had just started making our product. We did one of our earliest pop-ups, and we couldn't afford a regular booth in a local art fair, so we got one that was very discounted. It was right by the sliding glass doors, and it was so cold on a December day...
I brought the staff with me to help sell. I believe that if you can sell your product it helps you pitch yourself later on. One of our first employees, Patricia, was there with her kids.
A woman came over and saw Patricia’s jewelry and said, “I love this piece.” But the woman was in a hurry and she said, “I'll be back.”
An hour goes by, and this woman finally rushes back to us saying, ”I have to have this piece. It's really speaking to me.” Well, then we told her, “This is made from Detroit graffiti and this is the artist, Patricia.” The woman bought the piece, and said, “This is the best money I've ever spent."
I'll never forget, after the woman left, Patricia collapsed on the floor and just burst into tears. Her kids were comforting her, telling her it was "ok." Patricia said, “No, I know it’s ok, because I made that piece. That was me, I made it." And she turned to me and said, “Amy, I have to go back to the shop. I have to make more.”
That was one of the first times when I realized how important the jewelry making was to the process of the confidence building.