Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Gallardo
Hi Emily, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Emily Gallardo and I am the owner of EJ Clay Co. I started this company a few months after Covid had started (July 2020). I was looking for a creative outlet when the world was on fire. I had bought clay earrings and loved them, so I did some research on how to make them. I remember thinking it sounded therapeutic, so I invested a few hundred dollars and started! I was using medicine cap lids to cut circles or really anything I could find around the house. I eventually started buying the right tools, but it got me started. It truly is really fun for anyone wanting to try it.
My first earrings were so hideous. I remember thinking how did people make such cute stuff? I like to think that I finally have that down pat, but it was really touch and go there for a minute!
Looking back, it’s so funny to think that I expected people to love them. I remember handing them out to my friends and family (so sorry, guys) and I was so proud. Everyone was so nice when they took them. I will say though, my mom still has one pair that I made when I first started and she wears them often! Somehow they still look okay.
How I got into wholesale- I noticed that there were not many clay jewelry companies selling wholesale, so I got in to that world pretty fast. I started wholesale that August, a month of two after starting, and now, fast forward almost 5 years, we have been/are in thousands of businesses *worldwide*. Our average wholesale orders is anywhere from 30-100+ pairs. We are in a lot of local stores such as Nothing Too Fancy, the Sunsphere/Visit Knox, Josie’s, Bliss, Market Grove in West Town Mall, etc. We are also currently working with Vol Navy on some exciting UT inspired styles!
We also now offer Make & Take classes every month at Galfunction The Hub. We show our guests how to make clay earrings and they get to leave with 1-2 pairs they’ve created! (We list these on our event tab on our website!)
In almost 5 years, we have grown from just me in a small office making everything to a team of 4 women- Jamie as the other maker, Tanna does the assembling/ships the orders out and Grace as our social media manager. I really feel like I have a dream team right now. All of these women have their own strengths they bring to the team and I am so thankful for them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I feel like owning a business is never a smooth road!
From 2020-the end of 2021, I was doing this by myself. I remember staying up until 2 AM (because I also had an actual day job) putting earrings together. It was later in that year that I hired my first assembler and then hired Jamie (my other maker) that November. Those nights before I had employees were really hard.
Of course every year has had it’s own challenges. Growing a small business comes with some serious growing pains. It’s hard to scale when you only have so much man power. Finding the right people to hire is hard. Marketing is hard. Budgeting is hard. Taxes are really hard. Owning a business is hard.
I think when I first started this business, I thought that it would be fun and light, but being a business owner is really hard. You’re constantly pulled in a lot of different directions. You’re in charge of getting everything done, etc. I would 100% do it all over again, but its so much more than I ever thought it would be.
As you know, we’re big fans of EJ Clay Co.. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I think what sets us apart is that we do everything in house. Most of our clay cutters, designs, etc. are printed in house. I design the prints that we use on the clay and then transfer them to the clay for designs.
Another thing I am very proud of is our Make & Take Classes. There is not another class of this kind locally. Our Galentine class for February is sold out, even after we added more spots. It’ll be our largest class to date! I love seeing what people come up with. I’ve met just the coolest people in these classes.
All of our styles are unique to our brand, hypoallergenic and lightweight. We use very specific vendors for our materials, most that we have personal relationships with.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a social butterfly. I always wanted to be out with friends or have friends over (my poor mom). I played soccer from age 5 through sophomore year of high school, so that was my biggest passion for a long time. Once I stopped playing, I really only cared about hanging out with friends and a family like a typical teenager.
I went to college for advertising/graphic design. I love designing on computers, but I can’t draw to save my life. I’ve always had a passion for creativity, leading me to where I am today! 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ejclayco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ejclaycoknox/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EJClayCo
