At the end of the 2010 calendar year, Heart on Your Sleeve Design had product in 50 stores. Today, the company’s themed jewelry lines, sports gear and other accessories are on display in over 1,000 stores and that number continues to soar.
“It’s been quite a year,” says jewelry designer and owner Kim Newton, who moved to Greenville from Chicago in 1997. She began her career as an x-ray technician and then became a stay-at-home mom when her two children were born. She also bought and flipped properties on the side and had a booth at Palmetto Home and Garden.
Now that both of her children are away at Clemson University, she has found success in this next stage of her life. “One of the things I love about this is that my children and other Moms can see that there is so much opportunity in all stages of life. I often say, diving in head first into a small business took the sting out of sending my baby to college. My children actually call me as often to say ‘Mom, how was that meeting?’ as I do to say ‘How was your test?’”
For Newton it was just a matter of not being afraid to say yes to opportunity.
Heart on Your Sleeve Design was born out of Newton’s personal desire to wear her own heart on her sleeve. She wanted jewelry that reflected her faith, but could not find anything to suit her taste on the market. “Everything just seemed older than I really wanted to wear,” she says.
Newton started out by making cross earrings and a couple of cross jewelry pieces in her attic in 2007. When people saw her designs they wanted pieces of their own, so she began taking custom orders. She landed spots in gift shops and several faith-based organizations began carrying her jewelry. “We had an opportunity to get into some Young Life camps and I felt like if we got the those camps then that was God saying yes and it would be my answer to just go for it,” she says. Friend Dana Stone quit her job to come on board full time and the two moved out of the attic into an office space. Newton came away from the Atlanta Market in July 2010 with a number of sales. When she returned to Market in January 2011, Heart on Your Sleeve was picked up by Bass Pro. The outdoor retailer is carrying a line called Outdoor Chick designed for girls who love the great outdoors.
Hallmark Corporation recently signed on to carry her company’s Girly Gurlz line designed for the tween market. “They bought a line of our necklaces and wanted to add to it, so we designed a little gift bag with a shade strap and water bottle.” Hallmark returned with additional orders for their Girly Gurlz Sports Line, which includes t-shirts, backpacks, hats and shoelaces. “We’ve also been picked up by a key accounts rep that mainly supplies large Christian retailers and got us in all the Lifeway Christian stores and family Christian stores.” Newton’s line of owl jewelry and other pieces from her Blessed, Outdoors, Girly Gurlz, Fan Fare and holiday lines will be available in Lifeway Christian stores and a number of larger retailers in the near future. “I have a strong faith and our company is run based on that. We try to run every day in a manner that is thankful for the opportunity that we have. We understand that this is not normal. So many people are having difficulties in their businesses and the economy is not great. Our success is a blessing and a gift,” says Newton.
The company has recently moved from their Pelham Road office to a 4,000 square foot office and warehouse space in Easley. “We understand that a lot of other companies are on the opposite swing. They are on the downturn and we are continuing to grow and hire. We are excited about the future. We have so many things in the works. The theme based concept is endless because people are passionate about so many things,” she says.
Their newest product being introduced for January is called I Choose. It is a bracelet, that is that can be worn alone or several at a time. “The idea behind it is you wear what you choose. I choose purity, I choose courage, I choose kindness, etc,” she says. Bracelets are color coded for each word and packaged on a card with a tiny metal piece inscribed with the sentiment. They expect this to be the most successful product line thus far. “Going into a store and seeing our product gives me a feeling of such gratitude and amazement. I think, a couple of moms from Greenville, South Carolina were given the amazing gift of opportunity, and it is sitting right there on that shelf. Wow. We do find ourselves in exhausted mode, but it’s been a kick.”
For women, wondering what’s next for them in the empty nest stage of their lives, Newton says, “Find your gift. Everyone has at least one. And find your joy! What do you love to do? Don’t be afraid to say yes to opportunity. There is quite possibly something amazing waiting for you, using your gift and your joy.”