Midtown Farmers Market Vendor Profile: Owlhaired Designs

June 20th, 2024

 

Q: What is your name and how are you involved with Owlhaired Designs?

A: I am Olive (They/Them) the owner, artist, and gardener behind Owlhaired Designs.

 

Q: Where can we find you at the market?

A: I am located on K St right before it intersects with 19th St. My booth sits between two other amazing businesses, Beautifully Regular and The Bus Stop Vintage.

 

Q: How long have you been in business?

A: Owlhaired Designs was born in 2019 and became my full-time career in 2023.

Q: What made you want to start your business?

A: My art journey started solely as an avenue of self-expression. I did not expect it to grow into a business but as I continued to create and share my work it became clear so many others resonated with my art. I slowly began to sell pieces and next thing I knew I had a business name and a website. The move from my art being a side project into my full-time job was a much more intentional step. I have found over the years that I struggle to thrive in the typical 9 to 5 retail environment that I was in, especially when the work I was doing didn’t light me up from the inside. My neurodivergent brain craved the creativity and flexibility that working for myself offered. What I do now everyday excites me, especially when I get to share it with others at markets.

 

Q: How long have you been at Midtown Farmers Market?

A: I have been at the market for over a year now. I first started in March of 2023.

 

Q: What do you enjoy about selling your products at Midtown Farmers Market?

A: There are so many things I love about the Midtown Farmers Market including the location, the other vendors, and the customers. Having a consistent weekly market as a small art business is so special and has helped me grow so much over the last year. So many incredible people have walked into my booth, many locals, but also others from out of state. This market has helped me create a network of regulars and an established location that people can find me at whenever they are in need of nature inspired art. Seeing the joy on people’s faces when they find my booth will never get old. The market is so community oriented and I am very grateful to be a part of it.

 

Q: What is your favorite product that you sell?

A: It is so hard to pick a favorite since I create such a wide variety of art but I would have to say that my Soldered Florals are my favorite to make and sell. Each one is a unique arrangement of pressed flowers encased in two pieces of glass and then hand soldered by me with lead-free solder. They make incredible floral decor for your home.

 

Q: What is your favorite memory at the market?

A: My favorite memory is probably meeting my booth neighbor Bethany of Beautifully Regular. The friendship and support network we have created together at the market means so much to me. The market wouldn’t be the same without her by my side! I love my market family so much.

 

Q: What do you want people to know about your business that they may not be able to tell by seeing your booth at the market?

A: Owlhaired Designs is a Queer-Owned business and the flowers I use in my art are grown in my home garden. Each flower you see has had so much love and care given to it from seed, to harvest, and finally pressing in my home-grown flowers presses to then be used in my art. I love to have my hands in every step of the process that I can. If you are not able to make it out to the market, you can still shop all my nature inspired art on my website: owlhaireddesigns.com

Connect with Owlhaired Designs