Today we’d like to introduce you to Jolinda Lampo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Jolinda. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
About 12 years ago we lost one of our golden retrievers. We were looking for a female to rescue and ran across Retrievers and Friends of Southern California. We met with them and adopted Lilly who was 6 years old at the time. I was very impressed with the adoption process and their loving care of all the animals they had rescued or taken in.
They asked if I would like to volunteer and do interviews for people in my area who wanted to possibly adopt from them. I have done this for many years and wanted to do more. I came up with the idea of making the birdhouses out of anything recycled and I could donate the money to the rescue to help out. I have been doing this for about 6 or so years. It has really grown with the help of so many people who love animals and the rescue. I receive donations of license plates for the roofs to recycled wood and found treasures which are all used.
I have been very blessed to have vintage shows offer booth space at no charge to help myself and the rescue. I also have done well on ETSY. I have done many special orders for people which I really love to personalize the birdhouses.I have made birdhouses for firefighters, hunters, quilters, gardners, best friends and artists to name a few. I love my golden retrievers and love hearing all the stories from people who have rescued animals and what it has done for their lives.
I currently have two rescued golden retrievers, Otis and Grace who are my fur babies. I am so proud to be part of a rescue who only has the best interest of the animals at heart. I believe if you have a gift it is to be shared to help others. One of my favorite parts of this business is seeing peoples faces when they see all the birdhouses at the shows. They start smiling and their smiles just get bigger. I tell them even if I don’t see a birdhouse I love seeing the people smile.
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 work full time and the only thing I can say that makes it a challenge is not having enough time to work on the birdhouses. Usually, I cut about 30 0r so birdhouses at once which starts my process. Overall it takes me about 8 hours per birdhouse to make. I want them to be unique and one of a kind and reach out to each person individually.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Birdhouses 4 the Dogs – what should we know?
Birdhouses 4 the Dogs is one of a kind eclectic birdhouses. They are totally functional birdhouses and have also been collected as pieces of art as well. I do customer birdhouses using the buyers own license plate that may have special meaning and treasure they would like to have incorporated.
I did a group of birdhouses for a family using items from their mother/grandmother that had just passed away and they loved them and having of pieces of heirloom on the houses. I use vintage and antique pieces on the birdhouse as well as found treasures.
Through ETSY I have shipped birdhouses all over the United States. I have sold the birdhouse at flea markets in Orange County and North County San Diego. I absolutely love what I do and where the money goes is the best gift I can receive.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe the success of my business comes from people who also want to help the rescue. From the wonderful people who run the flea and vintage markets to friends. The more people I tell about the birdhouses the more they want to donate wood and found objects to use. The ladies from Far Away Hood have encouraged me and help me move in the right direction with my goals. Without them, I would probably be just selling on ETSY,
Pricing:
- Price are between 40.00 to 60.00
Contact Info:
- Phone: 760-420-0805
- Email: oceansidequilter@gmail.com
- Instagram: birdhouses4thedogs@instagram
- Other: BirdHouses4theDogs@ETSY.com
Image Credit:
Far Away Hood
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