SERIES TWO – EDITION TWENTY EIGHT
In the latest edition of our ‘Faces behind the Business’ series, we caught up with Mareike aged 31, founder of byMaraca; authentic handcrafted jewellery.
When did you first get into the industry?
At university, I studied to become an art teacher, and while that career didn’t pan out exactly as planned, being able to use the university’s rooms and tools led me to my first love, printing! In 2017, I started a small business selling etchings and lino prints.
The big change happened in 2019 when I was keen to try something new and signed up for a ring-in-a-day workshop. And gosh, that got me! It was closely followed by a 10 week silversmithing course and when lockdown hit, I decided to get all the tools I needed to make a start in my own home studio. Thanks to my previous experience, I was able to get my business off the ground fairly quickly, and as a nod to it, I still sell etchings. Jewellery is my main focus, though, and I can’t get enough of it!
How long have you worked at byMaraca and what is your job role?
The business started officially in March 2020, and I’m the founder, CEO, creative director, designer, photographer, customer service contact, accountant, social media manager, cleaner, stock controller, logistics manager, driver, and so much more – like so many small businesses, it’s a one-person-show!
What is the byMaraca ethos?
byMaraca offers jewellery that is creative (it is an outlet for my own creativity and hopes to inspire yours), authentic (all pieces are made by me from start to finish and are all designs I wear myself) and versatile (they are for special occasions and the mundane, for memorable moments and, well.. a Zoom meeting). The bold yet sophisticated pieces are sustainably sources where possible with a change to eco silver happening at the moment.
What’s the best bit of advice you could give to anyone looking at working in your line of work?
Place community over competition! Even if you are all jewellers, or all illustrators, or all macrame artists, you’re still your individual businesses with your own customers, so seeing everyone else as a direct competitor is not just exhausting, it’s also unnecessary. Being part of a community or a little support group however is brilliant!! Moaning about the same things, lifting each other up, cheering each other on – I can really really highly recommend that!
What do you love most about Liverpool?
‘ve only moved to Liverpool in May this year and I just can’t believe how welcome everyone made me feel! The friendliness is not just a cliche, it’s absolutely true, and I already feel part of the scene. There’s so much going on, so many fab independent businesses to discover, and my list is ever-growing! Thanks Liverpool for being amazing!
If you could describe your business in 3 words what would they be?
authentic, creative, versatile – or alternatively: one-woman-show, lockdown-hobby-gone-small-business, jewellery-to-brighten-up-your-day!
Follow @bymaraca or visit www.bymaracajewellery.com
Are you a business in the Liverpool City Region and want to feature in our Faces Behind the Business series? Contact us now by emailing hello@explore-liverpool.com or get us on WhatsApp on 07568 532 537.
