Life & Work with Karen Lopez of South

Hi Karen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I came to this country when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who always tried her best to give me everything I needed. I probably never had the best of everything, but I had a roof over my head and clothes on my back. My mother worked day and night to give me and my younger sister everything we needed. Seeing my mother work nonstop has also been the reason why I dream of having the title CEO/Owner. I’m a dreamer (DACA), and all I hope is for one day to be a successful business owner so I can prove to everyone that DREAMERS are hard workers and we strive for so much more than just having a work permit. On to how I started my business… I have always seen myself either doing hair, makeup, or anything in the beauty industry. I took a course in doing lashes in 2018, but that flopped. I practiced with family members and quickly realized that it wasn’t for me. I was left with hundreds of dollars materials that my husband and I bought, not including the money I spent in taking courses.

Fast forward to 2020. I started my business in May of 2020, right after the pandemic hit Houston. As weird as this might sound, if it wasn’t for this pandemic, I would not be where I’m now. My job sent me home and all day, I was on my phone watching TikTok. I came across a couple of videos of people doing resin work and it seemed interesting and gave it a try. I quickly realized that I liked creating stuff with my hands. I took the plunge and invested in materials to get to work! I started by offering keychains and slowly worked my way up to now offering laser engraved items.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I can’t lie. It has been a smooth road, all thanks to my husband, who pushes my morning, day and night to do more and be better. My husband is always there with the best advice. He helps me financially and mentally. He helps me grow.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m still growing artistically. I take courses here and there to learn more. As of now, I offer custom keychains, trays, and also woodwork. I have a laser etching machine, so I’m able to offer engraving services and also custom wood work projects! What I’m most proud of is even starting my business, I love everything that I do, but one of my favorite items to do is engraving watch bands! I can add any design you can think of! I also enjoy making trays because it gives me the opportunity to add glitter and gold and just so many nice designs. Doing this makes my creativity flowing. What I think sets me apart from others is how I’m always willing to do more for my clients. I strive to always provide a great item for my customer. I’m often told by my customers that what they’re ordering is a gift. I put so much love into the items that I do, always hoping my clients love their items.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
My take on risk-taking is that if you don’t take risks into doing something, then nothing changes to your current situations. Sometimes you have to “shoot your shot” in life and stop having doubts.

Pricing:

• Custom Cutting Boards $30
• Resin Keychains $6
• Acrylic Mirror Keychains $10
• Resin Trays $18+

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/theecrafthousee