Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Poma.
Carla, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey is actually an interesting one. I was born in Bolivia, raised in NYC, and then moved overseas to Portugal for almost a decade. Jewelry was not what I originally trained in or even went to school for. I graduated from Brooklyn College in NYC with a degree in Audit Accounting and Business Management and Finance. I worked for one of the big 4, PricewaterhouseCoopers for a few years.
A personal tragedy changed the course of my life, I left NYC and started to travel all over the world. I think I visited over 40 countries in the span of 3 years, had to change my passport book 2 times! During my travels I rediscovered myself and what I loved to do. I loved to dance, I danced my way into the professional Latin and African dance scene. My love for African dance and music led me to travel to Portugal, to train and immerse myself in the culture. That is where I met my husband, a professional African Dancer, settled down, got married, and had 2 kids.
During my time in Portugal, while trying to settle into my new role of wife and mother, I often found myself figuring out ways to create some sort of business. In reality, I’ve always had the heart of an entrepreneur. I first started by joining a team that organized some courses for instructors who wanted to learn African Dance from the roots. I saw a need in the dance community, that evolved into partnering up with some friends in the US to start a clothing line that focused on using luxurious African prints to create some modern casual wear. I handled everything in Portugal and they took care of the US. We later expanded into making accessories and I just completely fell in love. I let my creativity run wild and just started making some pieces that would always sell out. I was especially fond of the jewelry; I felt such pride every time I saw a lady wearing one of my pieces. After a while, the dance events/courses were not enough for me. I always wanted more. So, I started looking into handmade events and craft fairs in Lisbon. I came across a few that welcomed me with open arms. After some time, I made some friends and really started to create a sustainable business at these events. After a while, I felt it was time to focus more on the jewelry and met some local friends who were metalsmiths and they encouraged me to pursue it. After a while, I also noticed that when I was creating, I really was able to focus and tap into a side of me that I never really knew was there. I was very good at manual things, but I never truly allowed that creative side of me to come out.
In between my travels, from the US and Portugal, I started purchasing materials and tools to teach myself how to make jewelry from scratch. it was not a simple task for me. I had to juggle motherhood, a house, a husband, and this newfound dream. But with the help and support of my husband I was able to learn and make things that had never crossed my mind that I could make before and actually making a decent living with it.
In 2018 my husband and I decided to move back to the US since our firstborn was about to start his school journey. We left everything in Portugal, the only thing I packed was a week’s worth of clothing for my kids, some diapers for my youngest, and three full suitcases of tools and materials I had accumulated. We settled in Orlando because my parents and sisters were living here and we wanted to be close to family. When we arrived, we pretty much had to start from zero and our savings had been depleted by our move. I gave myself a “trial period” I wanted to continue doing what I had been doing in Portugal, but the US was so different now that I was back, I also had no idea where to start. Lisbon is small, Florida is huge, and at the time I arrived there only a handful of events in central Florida that would be a good fit.
I didn’t have much luck with the local events, I was new and still had not found my clientele. I expanded to St Pete and Tampa, which is where I began to appear in bigger events and started making a name for myself. Since then, I have pushed myself to grow. My family has also played a key role in my growth. My sisters help me at larger events, my parents help out with the kids, my husband is my number one supporter, he actually has learned so much and is my right arm with production, zaps, and all the behind the scene organizing. It is truly a family effort. Every day I wake up and ask myself, how can I make this better? I love pounding metal, using my saw, lighting up that torch, making that zap, offering my clients a bit of myself and my vision with every piece I put out there. I have no plans of stopping; I honestly feel that I’m finally in that sweet place where I can start planning for bigger and better things.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. People only see the final result, the jewel that sparkles and shines. In Portugal, I had to start from scratch in a place that I did not know, all while trying to figure out how to be a good mom, wife and juggle different hats at different stages. Once in the US, we had to make many sacrifices, late nights of work, monitor our finances, re-invest in material, purchase new tools, figure out school and homework schedules for the kids. Websites, email lists, placing orders, and sooo much more that goes behind the scenes. It all requires time, and when you have two small kids to take care of, time is just something that is rarely in abundance.
Covid also made the whole world turn upside down, as a small business we had to adapt. We had to shift more into online sale, create a website, something that I did not have pre-covid. I had to quickly think of ways of staying afloat and maintain my numbers during the early stages of the pandemic. I made a full re-structure and made sure that I paid attention to the avenues that were working for me since I mostly relied on my in-person events for most of my income. With covid around, all my big events just shut or canceled which forced me to take a deep look into my business.
I also experienced a lot of the new challenges that come up with growth. When I was doing everything myself, it was rewarding in the sense that I knew that it was happening the way I wanted it to happen because I had full control. As the demand for my pieces and my services grew, I was starting to get burnt out, there was lack of sleep, lack of energy, and lack of focus. 2019 was an eye-opener for me, I had such a growth that year that I was not enough for the demand there was for Carla Poma. I pushed myself to the limit and it took a toll on me. It was such an intense year that I actually had to take a trip overseas to de-stress after my busy season was over. I came out learning a lot of things that year, and the most important one was that I could not do everything myself if I wanted to grow. I had to learn to let go of some things and trust the people in my circle to help. My husband stepped up to the plate and learned as much as he could to help me after that, he saw that I was struggling and came to my aid. My sisters also offered to help and little by little we all started working together.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I make jewelry using different mediums and use high-quality materials. I love mixing textures in my designs, I’m not afraid to take risks. I draw inspiration from the richness of the places I’ve traveled to, as well as modern shapes and lines. I love that I can take a sheet of metal, some wire, and some stones or other mediums and come up with something that is someone will proudly wear. Some of my most popular pieces are my Royal Beetle wing earrings, my statement Snake earrings, my Petra monstera earrings, my mini studs, my assortment of stacking rings, and my newest service the Forever Bracelets.
I’m well known for the assortment of pieces I offer that can be customized and appeal to people of all ages. I love customizing, whether is adjusting chain lengths, personalizing rings, “zapping” on the forever bracelets to celebrate a special occasion or bond.
I truly care about every piece that leaves my studio, I am a perfectionist when it comes to my jewelry, in my mind, I am creating a special piece “for the confident woman who loves to shine.”
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Maybe that I don’t have a physical store of my own yet. I mostly pop up all over Florida at local stores or at maker events. Have a few stockists in Central and South Florida where people can go visit and pick up one of my pieces if they can’t make it out to one of my events.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@carlapoma.com
- Website: www.carlapoma.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/carlapomajewelry
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/carlapomajewelry
Image Credits
Clarisa Benmaman
Melissa Sweredoski
