Permanent Jewelry Business Finds New Home in St. Petersburg
Mariel McMurrey, a recent college graduate, has always had a passion for handmade jewelry and sustainability. Since she was a little girl, she’s been learning new ways to create unique jewelry pieces that would last. Thus, it was not a surprise that she would grow into an entrepreneur and one of the first businesses to make custom permanent jewelry in the St. Petersburg area.
“One of my biggest passions in life is sustainability – that’s actually what my major is in; environmental science,” she said. “So, permanent jewelry was a way, in my opinion, to slow down consumption by picking out quality pieces that are custom fit to you so you’re less likely to throw them away or get only a month wear out of it.”
Following her passions, McMurrey decided to start her own business, Sadie + Sky Permanent Jewelry.
Although McMurrey was passionate about making the personalized pieces of jewelry, she knew that she needed business guidance as she didn’t have any previous knowledge of how to run one. That was when she reached out to the Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED), where she was paired with business consultant Debra Schweikowsky for business startup assistance.
“When I first started thinking about the idea of starting a business, I obviously had no idea what I was doing as a 22-year-old at the time,” McMurrey said. “And it quite literally could not be possible. I could not be where I am today without the help of Debra at the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development.”
Schweikowsky helped McMurrey through business startup basics, such as setting up an Employer Identification Number (EIN), understanding quarterly sales tax, and thinking about the future of the business.
Now, she says that her Florida SBDC at PCED consultant is helping her grow her business further. “I had no idea what an EIN number was before, so we started with the basics and now we get to talk about franchising and helping with expansion and growth and focusing on adding other employees, independent contractor workers, to the business,” she said.
Since working with the Florida SBDC at PCED, McMurrey has moved her home-based business into a permanent location. “We were a home-based business that focused a lot on being mobile, doing pop ups, local markets, a lot of vendor things, private parties,” she said. “And while we still do a lot of those, we’ve now been able to actually branch out into our own space and have our own brick and mortar, which would not be possible again without the help of Debra.”
The small business owner also mentions how this has been her biggest success thus far as she is now able to accommodate her clients better and maintain more inventory.
Moving forward, the permanent jewelry entrepreneur says she will continue using the services offered by her business consultant and the Florida SBDC at PCED as her business continues to grow.
“There’s always something to learn,” she added. “I mean as a recent college graduate, that student mindset is very much there and this is such a new industry to be in that there is always something to learn and there is always something new that Debra can teach me and as I continue to expand and grow, I’m sure lovely, fantastic new obstacles will get in the way but I’ll be able to tackle them with confidence knowing I can just book my appointment with Debra at the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development.”
McMurrey encourages other small business owners to make their dreams a reality by reaching out to their local Florida SBDC Network centers. “This [Florida SBDC at PCED] is such a safe space to go to whenever you’re so confused, you don’t know where to start, and you don’t think it’s possible,” she said. “It’s definitely a place to get your dreams from paper and then out into the real world and actually make them into reality.”
