WEST DANVILLE, Vt. (WCAX) – West Danville’s Krystal Foster might not describe herself as an artist, but her creations are certainly works of art.
“Aspiring artistic,” Foster said with a laugh.
Like many other small businesses in Vermont, Foster got her start during the pandemic. “During COVID, something to kind of occupy my time,” she said. During an otherwise dark time in the rest of the world, Foster needed a little color. That’s when she found polymer clay.
“Saw it on Pinterest one day and thought, ‘You know what? I could do that.’ Gave it a try and haven’t looked back since,” she said. “It’s a fun outlet and when I’m just creating, I just feel relaxed and kind of shut everything out.”
With time on her side — and plenty of clay — she played around with her newfound craft, watched videos, and honed in her skills, focusing mostly on earrings and jewelry. “I just kept building confidence with what I was doing and now I feel really confident in it,” Foster said.
Before long, she was ready to take a leap of faith, launching Letty’s Lovelies Co. in September of 2023. The namesake is a nod to her daughter, and her kids were a huge reason for taking the jump. Now, she’s the proud owner of her own small business. If nothing else, Foster wanted to make sure her earrings checked all the right boxes, from wearability to affordability. “The biggest compliment and thing that people when I do markets, when they’re touching it they’re like, ‘Oh my god, I didn’t realize it was going to be so lightweight,’” she says. “I really wanted people to come back every month, every couple of months and buy something and not have it be like a once-a-year splurge.”
Typically, her earrings take the spotlight. She offers clip-ons and custom work, as well as other jewelry online and at about a dozen stores. She also has her work listed on Faire, where shops can buy her products wholesale. As Letty’s Lovelies Co. grows, she’s started to dabble in décor, too. “I’ve got a million ideas of things that I want to do… trinket dishes, more wall hangings. It’s endless,” she laughs. With nothing but support from the community, friends, family, and other Vermont small businesses, Foster has the backing to shape this newborn business any way she’d like.
“I’m just excited to come down here every day and make something new and exciting and have people respond to it. It’s all about doing it for everybody else,” she said.