HART + STONE | A Local Gem
When you start a business in a small community, you hope that you are received with support, that your products are well-liked, that you make a difference. You also hope that you will be able to connect with other awesome local entrepreneurs to collaborate and support their endeavours. We are proud of all our business-owner friends, but we get especially excited about working with other female entrepreneurs.
Emily Hartwell McPhee of Hart + Stone is another Salt Spring Island boss-lady making her passion a lifestyle. As a local, we have known Emily for over a decade and watched her business grow. Her love for jewelry making stretches back long before launching Hart + Stone in 2014, and is the reason the company was born. What was once a hobby, evolved into something concrete and cohesive that she can pour her creative energy into. She has now amassed a collection of handmade, quality jewelry with timeless style suited for every occasion.
Growing up surrounded by the beauty of the Canadian West Coast, Emily often finds inspiration in shapes found in her natural surroundings. More recently, she has taken her design cues from above. On a trip to New York City, she had the chance to explore the Metropolitan and Natural History Museums.
"I was incredibly inspired by the ancient Egyptian and Mayan jewelry, which were inspired by the sun and the stars."
You will find celestial shapes and names littered throughout her collections, like the crescent moon shaped Nova series. When her life allows, she enjoys travelling to markets so she can interact with customers first hand and see the joy that a new piece brings to someone.
As many entrepreneurs will tell you, Emily finds the hardest part of being her own boss the challenge of balancing the needs of Hart + Stone with the needs of her personal life. Like if she is "...on a really strict deadline to get an order done but also really want[s] to take [her] dogs outside for a run." Usually, the work has to come first and the fun later, if she has time.
"Whoever said that being an entrepreneur is great because you get to make your own hours never owned a business. You truly are working 24/7. If I don’t work, who will?"
That being said, there are the parts that she loves. Like having total creative freedom over her designs and her business. And the awesome empowerment that comes from making a living from something she can make with her own two hands. Ya girl!
In the next year or so, Emily hopes that Hart + Stone will extend it's reach beyond where it is now, reaching communities in ways that focus on engaging supporters of the brand and giving back by linking up with a charity.
She has our full support! We love her jewelry and we love her. Shop online or in store for Hart + Stone's beautiful designs.
