Erica Jones, CEO (CrafterExtraOrdinaire) of The Crop Shop

Erica Jones is one of my real life heroes. Despite her petite size, she has the vision and heart of a giant. The NJ-based, Rutgers University graduate landed a sweet, high paying job for a Fortune 500 company in NYC after graduation but eventually walked away from it to follow her dreams. It was a simple enough dream of being able to be a mother to her young child while earning a living doing work she loves. So she took her savings and opened a scrapbooking boutique in the hip and happening town Hoboken, NJ. Business took off and she had the luxury of creating a healthy work/life balance. Dream come true, right? Well, not exactly...

When Hurricane Sandy hit, her business was completely and utterly demolished. Totally destroyed. Did she close the door on her dreams and go crawling back to Corporate America, though? Absolutely not! Erica Jones rebuilt The Crop Shop and is now, after 5 years running a successful business, on the verge of expansion. She is terribly modest and her interview below may disguise the fact that she's a super hero but don't let her modesty fool you.

Erica Jones ROCKS.

PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF. 
My name is Erica Jones and I am the Owner of The Crop Shop located in Hoboken, NJ. 

 
WHAT DO YOU CREATE? I would consider myself a multi-media artist. I love to work on canvases and in journals, but I also find myself creating a lot of functional pieces too, such as tables, chairs, and bookcases. I’m probably more of a crafty carpenter!

 
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON YOUR CREATIVE PATH? I began taking pottery classes at the age of 7 years old. I made vases and plates that my mother still has to this day! I’m pretty sure that was my only structured instruction. I just continued to work on my craft because it was a source of comfort and relaxation to me. Around my college years, I began getting into scrapbooking, which was the inspiration for starting my own scrapbooking business. I opened TCS in December 2009, first starting as a scrapbook studio, and then transforming to an all around Arts & Crafts studio a couple years later. 

 
WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO CREATE? I am inspired by all things beautiful and different… oh, and the color turquoise! I love experimenting with different mediums and I am usually inspired by the desire to have things on display within my own home or a determination to use a material or medium I have never used before. 

 
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO MAKE A LIVING BY BEING YOUR AUTHENTIC, CREATIVE SELF? I make my living by inspiring and teaching others to love the creative process too. I teach classes and run workshops, hoping to inspire the next generation of artists and creators! 

 
WHAT NEW PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON? I am currently expanding my studio to become an Art Café, a place where people can convene and create in the same space. 

 
HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND & SUPPORT YOUR WORK? TCS can be found online at crop-shop.com, on FB at https://www.facebook.com/TheCropShop on Twitter at Twitter.com/cropshophoboken or by visiting us at 720 Monroe Street, Hoboken,NJ 07030.

Fashion ReDesign Birthday Parties and Deck Design Workshops

Are you in NYC or North Jersey and have a 'tween or teenager have a birthday coming up? Show him/her that you're the COOLEST parent ever and book a Fashion ReDesign Birthday Party at The Crop Shop! (Hosted by me) Your child and his/her 9 besties will explore how to transform everyday items into fashionable accessories and garments.

Activities may include:
• Upcycle Market Bag
• Gemmed Wooden Clutch
• Fabric-Covered Bangles
• Leather Earrings
• Studded/Chain Zipper Bracelets
• Recycled Denim Bib Necklaces
• Floral Sandals/Chain-Trimmed Boots
• Upcycled Sweater Totes
Book your emerging fashion designer's party at www.crop-shop.com today!

And for skaters (adults, 'tweens and teens), they will LOVE you for enrolling them in THIS class:

Students will learn techniques to create personalized artwork on skateboards.  They will learn how to mix paints, create stencils using the tape masking method, and learn how to protect their artwork with protective coatings. The completed skateboard is intended to be used as a work of art, however, they will be functional decks and their safety lies at the sole discretion of the handler. All materials and tools are included in class fee. While an artistic inclination is helpful, it is not necessary and no artistic experience is required to succeed in this class. Class in taught by industrial designer Keith Kirkland.

Register now at www.crop-shop.com. Spaces are limited.

So You Wanna Date a Model? RECAP

Playing cupid has never been so FUN!
If you remember a couple of weeks ago I posted that I was searching for a nice guy to take my model friend out who was having bad luck in the romance department of her otherwise awesome life (see the post here).
I was soon surprised to discover that although men LOVE to ogle models and claim to want a successful woman, most are intimidated about the idea of approaching one. The post got lots of hits but very few applicants, to my dismay and confusion but my man broke it down for me like this: the AVERAGE guy isn't confident enough in himself to go for a woman of this caliber because he doesn't feel he has much to offer her.
Hence, the problem that many a progressive, fly girl faces.So what's a girl to do? STAY FLY AND KEEP PROGRESSING! The dude who finds your grind sexy because it matches his grind will come along, trust me.

Pietra

So, getting back to our covergirl; professional model/designer/makeup artist Pietra of Retrochic Beauty. She was very clear about her type of guy: clean cut, young professional with great manners, solid work ethic, confidence, and is a man of his word. If he just so happens to be at least 6 feet tall with John Legends' good looks, that would be icing on the cake.
Well, I'm happy to report that I did deliver this and more!

Zo

Enter Lorenzo aka Zo Brown of ZoBownSpeaks.com. Motivational Speaker and Development Coach, he is an ambitious, tall, clean-cut, worldly, educated and John-Legend-esque attractive. He graciously took on the quest to have a casual, fun night out with my friend with no hesitations. And not only did he arrive on time but the brother had a luscious bouquet of lilies because he read in the original post that Pietra adores them.  
Nice touch!

I had them meet at The Crop Shop for Date Night, which is an evening of Paint-Your-Own-Pottery (PYOP) among other couples in a mellow setting with wine and candlelight that occurs monthly at this Hoboken arts/crafts boutique.They did a special activity called "bubble plates" that required blowing glaze through a straw to create a "bubble" design effect on the face of the plates that look stunning once fired in the kiln. It was totally hilarious and a lot of fun. Both were great sports about it.

Pietra: As for first impressions, I was surprised by the flowers and immediately thought he was cute. When he smiled, he totally looked like John Legend! And he's tall with facial hair. I LOVE that! I like that I didn't feel nervous with him. It felt like I was talking to an old friend, we even shared a few jokes. We have similar levels of education: he has his Master's and I'm finishing mine now. We have similar interests and work ethics. It was so nice to have a "no-pressure" date. I would like to see him again. Actually, we are texting now about going to the beach together!

Zo: My first impression of Pietra is that she's a true "entrepreneurial go-getter," which I can definitely appreciate. We do plan to get to know each other more, particularly in the business sense. I believe we can make some things happen! 

Making bubble plates

Zo and P chatted all night

A bubble plate before it is glazed and fired

Pietra's finished bubble plate

Zo & Pietra are all smiles. :)

To Zo's surprise, I was sitting only a table away throughout their date on my own date. :) It happened to be my birthday so I invited my man and my closest friends to join my private little PYOP celebration. I got a bird's eye view of Pietra and Zo's interaction and I was impressed to see how naturally they related. They talked and laughed all night. 
My  job is done here friends. Never give up! Good things are always possible when you give them a chance.

Meca xoxo