Today we’d like to introduce you to Rossann Downing.
Hi Rossann, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
DowningHouse Designs was created in 2016 when I began making jewelry at my house. My love affair with jewelry design/making started with resin, beads, and bullets. Hand-stamping added messages and purpose to some of the pieces, so it became a mainstay and the bulk of my pieces. It’s about the message. While I make other items [shirts, tumblers, and an array of different products], hand-stamping, personalizing, and creating designs that allow my customers to have a unique, one-of-a-kind piece is my heart. Something about jewelry sends a message about the person wearing it. Especially pieces that make it possible to wear your message! Whether it’s inspiration, a favorite sports team, a scripture, a mantra, a shared meaning with another, a special date, a special place, a memorial, or a simple design, my customers can feel the message and wear it! Many of my hand-stamped pieces are personalized and gifted to one another. There’s nothing more personal than that piece they can hold, wear, or treasure. My mission is to create pieces that have meaning and purpose for those wearing them. So far, my customers have confirmed that my mission is being realized daily. I love what I do and will continue if they have a message to wear!
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Shortly after I began stamping, I was in the grocery store, and a woman approached me asking where I got my necklace. She asked me to join her local vendor event when I told her I had made it. I jumped at the opportunity! While the event was not a successful one, I made enough for a good cup of coffee]; it was a great learning experience regarding events. Also, my entire family showed up to support me and my first event. Support systems are critical, and I have the best! A challenge that was not only mine but all small businesses was the pandemic. Vendor events were canceled for almost 2 years. The boutiques in which I had my products had to close due to mandates. People stayed in and began working from home. There wasn’t a demand for my items because people were at home sometimes working in their pajamas; they didn’t need jewelry pieces. I relied during that time on the other items that I made. Folks are just now starting to order hand-stamped jewelry and accessories again, and taking away the positive, while none of us want to face another pandemic, having to do so allowed small business owners to be creative in their businesses and change the path a bit.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a creative real estate broker and a higher education faculty member. I stretch a bit thin sometimes, but I love it all. While helping students or real estate buyers/sellers is rewarding, hand-stamping is my creative outlet. It’s my therapy. I am holding a hammer, right? What sets me apart is the uniqueness of the pieces I create. They are personal. They are purposeful. They relate.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My great-grandparents raised me and continue to live in the same small town where I grew up. Many of the best childhood memories were made on the pitcher’s mound on the softball field, playing in the old yellow truck that didn’t run with my neighborhood friends, or visiting the old drug store in town for a cherry coke at the fountain counter after school.
Contact Info:
- Website: downinghousedesigns.com
- Instagram: downinghouse_designs
- Facebook: facebook.com/DowningHouseDesigns
