Owning a business is something many people talk about experiencing. Senior Abby Halsey took matters into her own hands and made her dream a reality, creating a business where she can let her creativity flow. 

Being in the arts isn’t a new setting to Halsey. Also in the varsity show choir group, West in the Groove, Halsey has always had a knack for vocal arts. Her store, ‘CreatesByAbby,’ allows her to touch into her more decorative art side, allowing her to experience a different medium.

“I’ve always loved creativity which is why I incorporated my talents into a business,” Halsey said. “Everything I make is handmade by myself. I wanted to start this business as a way to make extra money before I go to college.”

There are many things to take into account when owning a business, especially if it’s a one-person job. Halsey goes through a process of making the keychains and advertising. Sales for a personal business can fluctuate in the blink of an eye so Halsey is always on top of her store, making sure to take shipping into consideration and getting the word out about her craft.

“Some hard parts would be advertising to people,” Halsey said. “It’s easy to advertise to people locally, but it’s hard to tell people about what I am selling when they live further away. I’ve only sent one keychain out of state so far, and I currently have another out of state order.”

But as the saying goes, hard work pays off. Halsey’s peers and family have expressed their gratitude towards Abby and how hard she works. With the keychains and new introductions of lip glosses, Halsey’s products have versatility for many. A friend of hers, senior Elsa Covi, tells how you can see the work put into her projects.

“The keychain I bought from Abby is high quality and could easily pass as a store-bought product,” Covi said. “I have no doubt it will break on me and there was clearly hard work and time that went into making the product. I have two keychains with different colored foils and crystals, but I plan to get a lip gloss soon.”

Appearing as an inspiration to many, there are many different points of view in which people see Halsey’s store. While the use of advertising spreads the word about Halsey’s store, some of the biggest supporters are as close as her own house. Her brother, Ethan Halsey, vocalizes what an inspiration she is and how he can take encouragement from her.

“Seeing her successfully starting her business inspires me,” Ethan Halsey said. “As an architecture major, the idea of starting my own firm would be quite endeavoring and it’s cool to see her succeed in her own creativity. She did a really good job at first learning how to efficiently and cleanly use resin to produce her keychains, then she successfully marketed her business by using social media to where she could spread the word through friends and other social media mutuals.”

Motivating many while perfecting her craft has been a constant journey as Halsey navigates her store. Many people support her and her adventure to potentially become something greater than everything she already is.