Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolina Franco.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Carolina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My name is Carolina. I’m a 32-year-old full-time mom and macramé maker creator of LORAC MACRAME. I started this project back in 2014 when I read an article from Emily Katz of Modern Macrame, and felt completely in love with this age-old art of knotting. I immediately started looking up for tutorials and created a wall hanging piece, which I still own as my first one ever made. At the time, I still had a full-time job, so I decided to begin my macramé journey as a vendor on some local events on the weekends.
My hobby then just kept growing, from participations at large events on both sides on the border as Entijuanarte, Guadalupe Valley Fest, Festival of Arts at North Park, to being part of the coolest SD local shops as Pigment and Make Good, and interview articles from CoolhunterMx and Vive Local magazine. From this moment, I realized that maybe I was able to make Macrame my way of living. Then two years ago, my daughter was born, and it made no sense to me to miss out on anything from motherhood. So I decided to quit my job and focus on the two things I love the most, my Family and Macrame. Best decision I’ve ever made.
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 definitely enjoyed the rollercoaster that is growing your own business. I now have learned to put a value on my workpieces, which was very difficult for me at first as it all started as a hobby. Also having to be a stay home mom has been and still is very challenging for me, as there are days when I feel that I don’t do as much as I would love to, but being grateful that I can do both things I love at the same time definitely is worth it all to me.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Lorac Macrame – what should we know?
I’m a self-taught Macramé maker. I love working on custom made pieces like large wall hangings, plant hangers and lamps, also restocking every now and then other pieces like table runners, mirrors, keychains, pacifier clips, wreaths, garlands, coasters and small wall hangings.
Also, I host monthly Macrame Workshops on the other side of the border, where I mostly teach how to knot basic pieces of macramé, provide and help my students find the best materials so they can still work at home and also encourage them to start their own macrame projects, which proudly I can say has leading to some new macrame makers and businesses in my town. I love to share my knowledge on macrame and help other women find a new passion, there’s no room for competitivity here and I would love to hopefully one day build a community of macrame makers.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
There’s no easy road to be successful. There are some moments when you can’t control everything that happens and just have to trust the process. I always think that you learn the most from your mistakes than your success. In my life, I just feel lucky enough to have a job that I love and feel so passionate about. Sometimes I can’t believe I waited so much time to do what I love. I think my good luck came the day my daughter was born and encourage me to be the best that I can and work the hardest ever since. She’s my purpose.
Pricing:
- Plant Hangers 25-40 dlls
- Workshops 45-60 dlls
Contact Info:
- Email: loracandcomx@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/loracmacrame
- Facebook: facebook.com/loracmacrame
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