Craft Your Commerce Podcast

In this episode of Craft Your Commerce, Jamie sits down with Ona Armstrong, owner of Firefly Valley Pottery Studio and Summer Camp in Asheville, to talk about building a creative business one experiment at a time. Ona shares: How her creative, homeschooled childhood and ceramics studies at Bennington College shaped her path as an artist and educator Her years teaching kindergarten, and how health...

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Sarita Westrup, a sculptural basket weaver based in Burnsville, North Carolina, to talk about building a creative business intentionally, finding support along the way, and making room for new possibilities in her practice. Sarita shares: How a high school sewing class sparked her interest in fiber arts—and led her to study fibers at the University of North Te...

In this episode, Jamie visits Night Owl Iron Works, a blacksmithing and leatherworking studio, gallery, and gathering space in Rutherfordton, NC, to talk with co-owners and partners Jordan and Rachel about what it takes to grow a craft business from a backyard shed to a building they now own in downtown. Jordan and Rachel share: How Night Owl Iron Works began as Jordan's late-night side hustle in...

In this episode, Jamie visits Torched, a community jewelry studio, gallery, and hub in West Asheville, to talk with co-owners and partners Meredith Tibjash and Nora McMullen about what it takes to build a brick-and-mortar metals studio around access, education, and community. Meredith and Nora share: How a chance meeting at a SNAG conference, months of long-distance calls, and a visit to Asheville...

In this episode, Jamie visits Silver River Center for Chair Caning in Weaverville to talk with Brandy Clements and David Klingler—co-owners, educators, and accidental museum founders—about what it takes to build a business around a craft most people have never thought twice about. Brandy and Dave share: How Silver River started as a tiny shop in Asheville's River Arts District doing chairs, framin...

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Anna Bryant—printmaker, studio co-owner, and former dental hygienist turned full-time artist in Asheville—to talk about rebuilding a creative life from scratch, twice: first when COVID unexpectedly opened a door into art, and again after Hurricane Helene took her studio. Anna shares: Her path from a homeschooled kid with a greeting card business ("Salutations...

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Laura Wood—contemporary jeweler, educator, and studio owner in Asheville's River Arts District—to talk about the winding, honest reality of building a creative life in craft. Laura shares: Her journey from a dance-focused childhood and a reluctant start in college to discovering art through an eye-opening art appreciation class How she fell in love with metals...

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Deanna Lynch, a hand weaver, bookkeeper, and educator who helps craft-based businesses and small organizations feel more at home with their finances. Deanna shares: Her path from a sheltered upbringing and a derailed art school dream to studying weaving at Haywood Community College How weaving became a meditative, grounding practice and why its rhythm mirrors...

Craft Your Commerce is a podcast elevating the voices of creative entrepreneurs in Western North Carolina. Each episode features insights from artists, makers, and business mentors who are shaping a thriving craft landscape. Through real stories and practical guidance, we dig into what it takes to build a creative business, stay connected to community, and grow in a way that feels true to your wor...