Meet Trailblazer Chelsea Beamer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Beamer.

Chelsea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
You could say I’ve always had a bit of an ‘entrepreneurial soul’. I knew back in design school that owning my own business was the dream! Shortly after graduating from design school, I upped and moved across the world to Japan to teach English for one year, which only made my love for children grow and the little clothes we dress them in. When I returned home with a peace of mind and (surprisingly) a little bit of savings, I thought – Now. Now is the time to start this business venture. The name ‘Beam & Bloom’ stemmed from my name, my love for flowers, and the lovely fact that children are often ‘beaming’ with joy. I began by purchasing a few industrial sewing machines, went to town on some fabric (oh, how I love fabric buying!), and then got down to the nitty-gritty of designing and production sewing. Since then, I have grown Beam & Bloom through building my website, social media advertisements and attending pop-up shows throughout the Denver area!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m pretty sure most business owners would agree with me when I say starting a business has been the most challenging thing I have ever set out to do! What I have found to be most difficult is honestly trying to take on everything myself. From web design – something I never knew anything about before and learned from tutorials and YouTube videos – to sourcing, pattern making, sample making, production sewing, and marketing. I am learning now that it’s okay to ask for help, and it’s often worth it to have a little weight lifted off your shoulders. I have also learned the importance of communication with factories. I worked with a factory for the first time earlier this year, the sample was wonderful and we discussed the grading scale, yet when I received the full order everything was scaled incorrectly! I recommend asking for samples in a few different sizes to check the grading, it’ll be worth the extra time and cost upfront to get the correct bulk load in the end!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Beam & Bloom – what should we know?
Beam & Bloom specializes in colorful, practical, ready to wear knit clothing for kids! I would say the most frequent comment I hear from customers is ‘Wow, your fabrics are so soft!’. All of the fabrics used are printed in the US, they are wonderful quality and they make the clothes oh so comfy, which I find oh so important for kids! They are constantly running around and playing, I want these clothes to be functional and not restricting in any way. I quite enjoy coordinating funky prints together too, one of the things I love about designing kid’s clothes is they can get away with wearing just about anything!

I am proud to say that apart from my recent factory mishap, everything has been produced by me! I pour my heart and soul into these designs and everything is quite literally cut and sewn with these two hands over here. I take pride in producing high-quality functional designs that not only the parents will love, but the kids too!

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
My absolute favorite podcast to listen to while I crank away on the sewing machine is ‘How I Built This’. If you’re a business owner – go look it up! I love hearing how these huge companies began and how they got to where they are today. Brands like Kate Spade, Spanx, Burton and even New Belgium Brewery for all you Colorado folks! Did you know Kate Spade started with making burlap bags out of used potato sacks in her NYC apartment? Stories like this inspire me on the days where I feel like this business is so new and so small in the big scheme of things, but gives me hope to tell my story one day and how it all began – just a girl sewing in her living room.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beam-bloom.com
• Phone: 3035037057
• Email: beam.bloom@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beam.bloom/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beam.bloom

Image Credit:
Rheanne Gutierrez & Kenzi Everitt

Suggest a story: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.