by Meagan Prewitt
Sitting side-by-side in hot pink office chairs surrounded by endless rows of twinkling jewelry and one-of-a-kind spools of leather, Southlake moms and entrepreneurs Jaymi Bear and Chelsea Salomone exchange quick banter and lots of laughter as they work.
Their wildly successful brand of Clever Bear Leathers has taken the market by storm creating exponential growth in the first 16 months of operation, placing their product internationally and in over 65 stores nationwide. But becoming a small business owner is only a snippet of who these inspiring women are.
At an adjacent desk to Jaymi and Chelsea, a blanket fort and bright orange plastic sword serve as a reminder that these two best friends and neighbors are moms first, even in their self-made leather factory. With five young boys between them, the duo would have never imagined a simple quest to create a unique gift for a friend's birthday would turn into a full-blown, lucrative business that would boast over 70 percent annual growth in year-over-year sales in just two years of operation.
It is this quest that serves as the reason the duo call Clever Bear Leathers “our business that happened by accident.” The two friends were compelled by the idea of using their combined vision to build a business from the ground up. Their designs are handcrafted with passion and creativity, which was quickly picked up by their expansive customer base. The proof of their success lies solely in the skyrocketing demand, an impressive 2,600 sales on Etsy alone, for their high-quality work that has triggered instant, organic growth.
Putting Their Stamp On The Market
It all began in December of 2016 when the pair of friends were searching for a unique gift to celebrate a friend. Chelsea turned to Jaymi, knowing her keen eye for design, and enlisted her help to create a stunningly unique pair of leather earrings. Jaymi's creation was such an instant hit with their friends, she immediately sought out artisan leathers in a variety of textures and colors so she could handcraft them into exquisite works of art. For every handmade pair of earrings Jaymi created, Chelsea would sell three more plus return with additional orders for new designs.
Despite success within their network, it wasn't until a stranger approached Chelsea at a Southlake restaurant offering to buy a pair of the handmade earrings right out of her ears that they realized if they were willing to put in the time and work, they just might be on the precipice of a business they never envisioned.
“We knew right away we wouldn't have a business without the other,” Jaymi says. “We each bring something to the table that is totally separate and unique from the other. Our friendship and our business have flourished because of it.”
It was clear that together, they had talent combined with passion to create something that they didn't even know existed. Clever those leathers are.
An Explosion of Community Support
In February of 2017, the two officially decided to pair their talents in a 50/50 partnership to create a brand aptly named Clever Bear Leathers (CBL) that would soon sweep the community.
Their Etsy site launched and the momentum they gained through friends and family on social media, more than 2,000 social media followers across their different platforms, caught the attention of local boutiques. As the orders rolled in, the creativity did too, so their collection designs expanded to accommodate custom orders.
“Although neither of us had any formal sales or business training, we believed so much in each other and in our product that we were determined to figure it out together,” Chelsea says.
And did they ever.
By March, just one month in, CBL landed itself in three local retail shops. With sales on a sharp incline, nearly tripling in sales from January, showing no signs of slowing, it was clear that the community's quick embrace of the bubbly duo and their popular brand was the catalyst behind their explosive growth. Jamie Baker, owner of The Gift Shop and Gameday in Southlake, remembers the day Jaymi and Chelsea approached her shop with cleverly designed Dragon earrings in tow.
“Adding Clever Bear Leathers to our spirit line at Gameday was truly a no brainer,” Jamie says. “We love offering local, handmade items in our boutique, and our shoppers are always looking for unique and amazing finds, so their creations fit into our shop perfectly.”
But with rapid success comes the need to adapt and grow. By summer of 2017, with just five months under their belts, Jaymi and Chelsea were working hard to balance family life alongside a continued influx of orders. Chelsea focused on developing and maintaining systems to ease growing pains while Jaymi enlisted help to fulfill the handmade orders. Before the ring of the new year, the debt-free company hired two additional team members to serve as jewelry designers and a business-minded financial assistant.
With 2018 on the horizon, CBL had nearly quadrupled its sales and had transitioned from two employees to five, as well as officially creating the space they have now dubbed “The Leather Factory.”
The Sky Is The Limit
With their designs expanding beyond earrings and into handmade custom necklaces, bracelets and even the addition of acrylic and cork material, CBL has clearly set itself apart from its competition. Nothing proved this more than their first experience at Dallas Market this past June where they blew away their goal of landing 10 new wholesalers to carry their line, instead, adding 47 stores nationwide, spanning across 37 states. Their unique ability to allow boutiques to build their own custom lines for their stores is one thing Jaymi and Chelsea believed helped catapult their success at market even further.
A Clever Response To Success
Aside from creativity, community and customer service, another core value of Clever Bear Leathers is giving back. Both Jaymi and Chelsea have diligently sought out ways to use their gifts to benefit others. In February of 2018, CBL celebrated their one-year anniversary at an event they hosted called “Baubles and Bubbles,” raising $1,000 for Lurie Children's Hospital and the Luke 18:1 Foundation. Both beneficiary organizations support two Southlake families and their mission to find a cure for their children’s rare genetic diseases.
“We were humbled and honored to be a beneficiary of Clever Bear's anniversary event. I wasn't even aware that our foundation was a beneficiary until the invitation went out, which speaks volumes about the two women behind the business,” says Southlake resident Nicole Stickane, who founded the Luke 18:1 Foundation in support of her son who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. “They are selfless and believe in using their business to give back to their community. We are forever grateful for the love Chelsea and Jaymi have for our child and others affected by rare diseases.”
Additionally, Clever Bear Leathers has teamed up with Autism Avenue, a boutique in Kansas that employees and advocates for people with Autism, The NET in Ft. Worth and Give Them A Voice Foundation to support victims of sex trafficking.
Beyond their philanthropic hearts, Jaymi and Chelsea know their success is not on their own. Through each and every transaction, success and failure, doors opened and closed, these two faithful women are able to see God's hand at work, directing them in places they never imagined.
“We are incredibly grateful to be where we are today and proud to have roots in this town,” Chelsea says. “Southlake has been so gracious to us and really propelled our team to take it to the next level. We've found that passion, determination, audacity and a little luck have gotten us far. Well, that and caffeine.”