I realized I have never put up an about us page when we first launched so although we've been up for a while now, it's never too late!!
Veena & Co. started on Etsy in 2020 under the name Yanna's Customs and specialized in stickers. I eventually moved on to making resin-based jewelry. At first, this was primarily a way for me to deal with the COVID lockdown, but I found joy in creating stickers and jewelry. I eventually decided to contact my childhood friend, Christina, and she agreed to take photos for me, and that's where Veena & Co. really started to take off.
From there, I started to push away from resin-based jewelry as I learned of its harmful effects on the environment and started to prioritize jewelry that is less harmful, as well as packaging practices. Although I am not where I want to be sustainability wise, I work everyday to make sure that the jewelry I make and outsource are durable and can be worn for long periods of time. So although some of our products may not hit the sustainable/eco-friendly mark, I may sure that at least our practices are!
What I also want to come from this company is featuring the artwork of my friends and family, as well as others who may wish to be featured on our page! This way we can promote their art through our products :D Currently I am featuring Katrienne Lemye and my brother Christopher Cruz!
As 2022 comes to a close, and in comes 2023, I am pushing to really start investing in this business by participating in more in-person events, both as a solo vendor and with others I have worked with previously. I also wish to put more effort in our websites looks and researching more products to place on our site. I also plan to be more proactive with the company's social media and our blog posts so stay tuned for that!!