Tawny Daigle started her successful art business at just 23 years old. Now, she shares her hard lessons learned in order to help other small business owners on SPACES, SooToday’s local, social network platform.
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“I am an artist and love creating,” explained Daigle, who hosts the Small Business space. “I started my business designing, making, and selling stickers on Etsy, out of my basement. People loved them and it really took off, so I started designing other things too . . . my business basically snowballed from there.”
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Today, Daigle sells an assortment of collectibles ranging from stickers, to key chains, knapsacks, bags, plushies, desk mats, prints, jewelry, and more, out of her own website and in person. All of the items are decorated with her original artwork.
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“I am an Indigenous artist, and my business is called Oshkico, which means new, or fresh, in the Anishinaabe language,” said Daigle.
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Daigle hopes to help other creative people and artists see that there is a way to make a living from art, with insights on SPACES.
“I love to share my stories, and I want to encourage other creatives and small business owners to be successful in their paths. I know a bit about it, and I hope with my participation in SPACES I can educate others.”
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Daigle likes what she has seen in SPACES so far.
“It’s a nice, friendly, local place and I like that. I have looked around in other spaces too, I really like the Arts and Culture and Gardening spaces. It’s nice to see the participation and I have learned about other businesses in the area that I didn’t know before, from reading in spaces.”
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Daigle’s work sells well online, but she has noticed in the last while that in-person sales are now outstripping online sales.
“During COVID, of course all my sales were online, and the in-person shows and markets were slow to come back after the pandemic. But now, I notice they are back. People like to hold the item in their hands, and that fuels impulse buys as well.”
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Daigle does over a dozen in-person shows a year, from local ones, to ones in Toronto, to several shows in Alberta and Vancouver.
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“There is a fair amount of travel, but it’s part of the business, and it is nice to see my buyers in person, and see what excites them.”
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She does want SPACES members to know she is available for any questions about building a business, and happy to help.
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“My art business is my full-time business. I am always marketing and looking at expanding. I am currently working on an animation project with a local company, using my own characters and artwork," she says.
"I’m hoping that will lead to more opportunities to showcase my illustrations, maybe in an illustration series, or artwork for books. There is always room for more art in the world!”
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Daigle invites others to join her in the Small Business space or any of the other spaces.
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“Let’s showcase our local businesses, art and events. We live in an amazing place . . . I am so glad we have the space to celebrate it!”