Locket2you

Photo by Jesse Jacob Young

Locket2you was created in 2009 and has quickly become a success. We have been carrying these sweet lockets now for about a year, and we can barely keep them in the store. They come in vintage and artful styles, and are not only a lovely piece of jewelry but a memento. The idea of the locket is old and romantic hearkening back to a time when lovers would keep a photo or even a lock of hair around their neck to remind them of the one they love. Young girls exchange photos as best friends and wear them, and parents and grandparents may hold the photos of their children and grandchildren. You can carry secret messages or wishes around your neck, and with Locket2you designs, you can wear your secret love or not so secret love on you wrist, like wearing your heart on your sleeve, but fashionable.

Scott McCarty is one half of the husband and wife team Locket2you. In honor of father’s day we asked him if he wouldn’t mind coming down to visit us so we could ask him a few questions about his line, and also a few questions about his life a a father of two. Luckily for us he was more than happy to become a part of our blog family.

Photo by Jesse Jacob Young

1. You and your wife Miranda started Locket2you in 2009, about a year ago, can you tell us, briefly what you were doing before, and what inspired you both to do what you are doing now?

Yes, we started in January 2009. We were waiting for the birth of our second child, our son was about to start kindergarten,we were living in Chicago, and I was the project manager on a 43 story building, on a window project. The project was ending and we knew we needed to take the jump now.  Either I took another job in Chicago or take a risk and move back to Portland.

Are you both from here?

No, but we met here, in fact, we found out later that we both moved to Portland within two weeks of each other.

And were you going to start making jewelry when you moved back here, was that the idea?

No. I was going to get another job in construction, but that was right during the whole economic implosion, and it was impossible to find work. In construction I was either way over qualified or under qualified.

Photo provided by Locket2you

2. Why lockets? Did either of you have any previous Jewelry making experience?

Miranda went to art school. I studied economics and Russian, but I had always thought of myself as an artist.

My wife Miranda was doing lockets with her earlier project Button Envy, and the lockets took up most of the sales. She had bought vintage lockets and was putting Washi paper on them, and I had said, “hey, let’s pour some resin on them”. It turned out really nice. We didn’t know it would work, and it worked really well, but it started out with us saying “let’s try this”. We realized we could do just about anything we wanted with the lockets. We started on Etsy but eventually outgrew Esty, and I said, “let’s put the money into developing our own website,” and that move helped us to get wholesale accounts.

I’ve always loved lockets. Ever since I was a kid, I’m not sure the first time I saw one, but I always liked the concept. They have maybe a more emotional connection.

Locket2you studio. Photo Provided by Locket2you

3. A husband and wife team in the craft and jewelry world is pretty unique, and we know that there are others who would love to do what you two are doing. Was it challenging to transition from what you were doing before into creating your own business? Did you have to give anything up, sacrifice as some would say, in order to make it work?

Yes. We have no cell phones, no cable, we gave up our car, our haircuts, we have holes in our shoes. If I have $1000.00 it goes to my kids and the business. We still have debts to pay off. Right before we moved here our son had to have emergency eye surgery. We were broke when we got here. We used up my bonus and all of our savings. When we arrived in Portland we had a hundred dollars to our name and no jobs, well Miranda transferred to Home Depot™, but she was in her third tri-mester and there wasn’t a lot of hours available.

I was always one of those people who took the safe route instead of what I really wanted to do, and because of that I probably got fired from more jobs than anyone. I would work hard move up and then loose interest. I’m a big dreamer, my wife used to make fun of me about it because I’d make these big manifestations, but things are now coming true. I always knew I could be successful, and that money would never be a problem, but then somehow money always became a problem, and I didn’t think it would be. I realized I needed to change my perception and my attitude, and once I did things just started clicking. I really believe we touched something and did something unique, and now we are being copied (he laughs). I knew we could do this, we just needed to get people to see the lockets, and to work hard. Ever since I met Miranda our dream was to sell our own stuff and travel and go to trade shows and take the kids with us that’s our dream, and that’s what we are doing this summer. We are just getting to the point where we can buy a few more things, and we can have some part time helpers, and we have reps. We are just at that point where we feel we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Locket2you had a natural organic growth. It’s a lot of fun but we literally have shed blood sweat and tears for this business. You have to stay positive and you have to work your ass off.

Photo provided by Locket2you

4. You mentioned on your website that twitter and social networking really helped you- can you elaborate on that?

We were in the hospital room, our daughter was a day old, and on the t.v. ABC news did a story on Twitter and Mc Hammer. Mc Hammer said, “what it is [twitter] is a tool for artists to get their message out directly to their fans”. I got on twitter and I checked out Portland people big into twitter, and people who would like our lockets, and people in the tech community. Because I knew there were all these rules and ways to go about it, and I needed to learn them fast. We really exploded with Twitter. I was successful at marketing. I would do these thirty minutes sales. I got creative I would do these diaper changing sales, “this locket will be on sale till I change this diaper.” I built up to be one of the top 100 twitter users in Portland and have 3,000 followers.

Although, I laid off for a bit, because we were so busy on the wholesale side. I was putting too many hours on tweeting and I got burnt out, but I’m getting back to it, but a little different.

5. How do you juggle the work? Are one you more for the production and design while the other is more on the marketing and selling side or do you switch off or share?

photo provided by Locket2you

We are literally switching roles this week. Miranda is more of the resin tech but I’m going to begin doing more of what she is does and she will do more of what I do. We both do production and painting. She is the photoshop whiz. One of my favorite things to do is painting the lockets. I also could watch a movie and bead up two hundred lockets and package them. It’s fun and a lot of work. Every locket is is touched by us every detail, every locket is touched at least two or three times by both of us before they go out.

The biggest challenge in all of this is finding the right balance, between life and work. You can work as hard as you can, but you need to remember that you are in a marathon and not just a sprint. I think a lot of people are sprinting. We are wanting to make some changes, we want to separate Locket2you from our home life, we want to get a separate studio space. Like I said, we are now working on finding that work life balance. I think it should be imbalanced at first when you are starting out. At first other areas in your life will suffer and you have to have faith and persevere through it. We had family members and friends convinced we couldn’t do it or didn’t understand it.

6. How do you juggle the kids? You have two children, a seventeen month old and a seven year old. Does one take care of the kids while the other works, like a tag team, or do you strap the baby to your body and go to work?

Our son (our oldest) is in school, so he is out while we are working, and I hate to admit it but sometimes our daughter watches a lot of Blue’s Clues when we have crazy deadlines, but basically we switch off. I take care of our daughter more because it is easier to e-mail with her than for Miranda to pour resin with a baby. I’m pretty much a Mr. Mom, I’ve probably changed just as many if not more diapers. We are very productive during nap time, or we get a treat where someone wants to take her out to the park or hang out with her and we say okay and we get to work. We are doing this all on our own and every single dollar is from our work and that feels good, but our number one job is being parents.We are going to send her to daycare once or twice a week, but only so she can have some interaction with other toddlers.

Photo by Jesse Jacob Young

7. As a father was it frightening to make the jump from the “job” that society would deem as safer and more reliable for raising a family to what you really wanted to do? Did you feel any social pressures or were you, hey, this is my life my families life and this is what we are doing?

Yes and no. Like the week to week money yes, but I didn’t want to be on my deathbed with any regrets. I don’t want to be that guy that works at a job he hates, that resents… I think there is a lot of hidden pressure on men to take care of the family. You always have to try to do better, and sometimes one mistake and… I think it is easier for mom’s to say, “I am going to start selling jewelry,” and she’ll get support. The husband  has the job that supports them, and family encourages them, but when men do it, you better make a showing of it fast, you better take care of things.

I had pretty much everyone on all sides of the family pretty mad at me for not just going out and getting a job, but I had jobs. I would get contracting jobs, and be away from my family for five or six weeks at a time. I’ve done everything, I was a janitor once for a year. I was the world’s worst janitor, but then I switched to project manager, just like that one day you are a janitor the next a project manager, but after that and doing part-time work or working two part -time jobs that pay minimum wage, and I know doing that is acceptable here (working part time jobs) but I said no- I said, something has to change. I have to do something where we could change and I knew we could do this.

My wife was doing a show two days after our son’s accident and she was next to a jewelry maker. She said [the jewelry maker] I don’t have to do this I’m in over 100 stores. I’m just here for the fun. It was like the law of attraction. I was so happy to hear all of this, no jealousy, I said, thank you for telling me how successful you are, and I didn’t even talk to her. She talked to my wife and my wife told me. With my economics background I did all the math and I could see we could make it work.

photo by Jesse Jacob Young

8. You would be considered an at home dad or a work from home dad. Can you tell us a bit about the challenges and advantages,plus do you think the role of the father is changing from dad goes to the office to bring home the bacon or do you find yourself to be unique in the roll of “father?” Since the roll can be narrow in our societal views.

I think there are a lot of unsaid pressures with fathers and a lot of automatic dismissals. A balance of the traditional man of fixing things, the protector, the provider, and also now you are also expected to be a spiritual nurturer. I think men have to go back and forth where mothers can be more grounded in the nurturer.  Dads in a lot of families, they are the ones that when it comes to discipline, they are the ones to have to put the foot down, and that might lead to resentments from kids. You know, all of the ills and struggles of the family are placed on the absent father, but non of the successes in the family, like if the kids are happy and everyone grows up well, are placed on the dad who is present. I think the roll of the dad is to tell our kids the truth and to acknowledge when we are wrong and apologize.  Some mom’s are looking at me funny for the way I am talking to my children.  I think a lot of people when they see me pick up my son from school still think I am just a dad out of work. I think what I am doing is amazing. I get to see my kids all the time it is unique and fun.

I do miss my alone time. I think any parent misses that, but it may be magnified for me [working in a woman's industry] I’m missing the good ol’ boy network of going out and getting a beer. In this industry most are women, the buyers are women, the store owners, the crafters, the jewelers, this is a woman run industry. I’m surrounded by women now, and sometimes I have the hankering to go to a sports bar and get a beer. I think it’s good though and I think there is an advantage because there are not a lot of men, you are just a little bit more unique and people talk to you different.

Portland is also different. Men here would not be considered very “manly” in most places in the country, and that’s a good thing. Portland is on the cutting edge in parenting and fatherhood. It is great being a dad in Portland where I can push a stroller and never feel emasculated, but in different places of the country where the dads’ are more traditional put your foot down kind of dads, they are not as involved in their kids lives and are not able to be because that is not the roll.

photo by Jesse Jacob Young

9. Did you always want to have kids or see yourself as a father? What is your favorite part about being a parent? What surprised you the most about yourself as a father?

Yes I wanted to be a father. I always loved kids. I always knew I was going to be a dad, and I was going to be a good dad. My goal is for my kids to be able to one day say I was a good dad, that is what it is all about. I love my kids so much. Sometimes I wonder if other dad’s know their kids as well as I know my kids. I’m lucky.

As for surprise, making some of the same mistakes as my dad made with me. Not the major ones the minor ones. I’ll think, that is what my dad did, and I stop myself and I apologize. I literally feel younger they give me energy. Another thing is how other kids’ associate me as a dad as my son’s dad. Being a good father to your own kids can have an effect on other kids. I think good dads effect others in a positive way, I know it did for me. My dad didn’t always make the best choices and he was detached sometimes, but seeing the way other kids dads were sometimes  showed me a different perspective on how dads could be. I don’t mean undermining some one’s parenting just reinforcing it. I think the best thing a dad can do is admit to mistakes and apologize, I think it teaches so much.

10. What are your visions for the future of Locket2you?

We have in the works new styles, different shapes, we also have our new frosted locket (which will soon be at Presents of Mind). This is our year for breaking out nationally, and getting more exposure.  We are working on bracelets, coin purses, earrings, and probably silver lockets. We are looking for a new work space, and developing the brand more, we might actually get a logo we can stick with (he laughs).

Any last words?

photo by Jesse Jacob Young

If there is one thing I can stress more than anything out of this interview is that success gives you more success. We need to shift our perception of what our future is. Success is measured in your children’s successes, and in your own development as a human. I want to convey that I love my kids. I love being married. I love my wife. I love success. I love our success, and I love other people’s success. I want other’s to do well.

Thank you so much Scott for your awesome interview. Speaking of Awesome if you want to know more or hear more from Scott he will be speaking at the Summit of Awesome.