Today we’d like to introduce you to Pamela El Gergi.
Hi Pamela, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My family immigrated from Lebanon after the civil war, and throughout my childhood, I was always interested in art and fashion around my Southwest Asian (SWANA) identity. As a child of immigrants, we were always told that it is important to have a higher education and pursue careers in the medical field – which was what I did. Fast forward to getting my degree in psychology and neuroscience, I worked as a clinical research coordinator and started getting ‘burnt out’ and unhappy in the medical field. Maybe the universe heard me because I was laid off from my research position during COVID-19 due to funding. I decided to take that free time and channel it back to my inner child – especially the part of me that deeply held to our cultural identity of art – and started learning how to create rugs. I was inspired by oriental rugs (specifically Armenian), bold colors, and geometric designs prevalent in our region. I started creating my own line of oriental rugs with neon-colored yarn and nazar (evil eye) style tufted pillows and rugs. I spent thousands and thousands of hours on YouTube perfecting the craft and wished there were more hands-on workshops near me to learn instead of learning by my mistakes and dedicating time glued to my phone/TV. My partner started gaining interest, also with free time on his hands, and wanted to learn. Eventually, I started teaching him how to make his own rugs from my expertise and had him help with orders when I was overbooked. That was when I realized that this is a skill and trade that many may actually want to learn without the hassle of learning from mistakes and watching thousands of hours of videos to learn. This is a skill that many people, who could be just like me and looking for more income, can learn and grow into their own custom rugs business! I wanted people to not have that fear as I did with pursuing art because it doesn’t fit with what we were taught or the fear of not being successful. I wanted people to know that you can do something completely creative AND start a small business that makes you happy! Now our rug tufting workshops have expanded out to not only creatives, but others who simply want to make their own custom rug that fits their aesthetic in their home.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all. There was a time when I got scared and thought to myself, “are you crazy? You can’t do this professionally! Go get a secure job in clinical research again and stop this nonsense.” So, I did half of that. I got back into pediatric neurology research and did workshops only on Sundays. I started feeling that same feeling of being burnt out, and like I was running on a hamster wheel of Corporate America. I was constantly glued to my desk at my cubicle responding to hundreds of emails a day, worked under a micromanager, and the only show of appreciation was with pizza parties. I quickly realized I can’t do this again when my passion is creating. There were so many times similar to this where I was hard on myself, and Imposter Syndrome started kicking in. I would feel like I wasn’t good enough, or nobody would be interested in my workshops. However, my parents, who always pushed me to go into the medical field, are now my biggest supporters! My dad helped me create my first tufting frames for my first workshop, and my mom is always there to cry with me and tell me how proud she is of me. When the road gets bumpy, I think of everything they went through in their lives and never having had the opportunities like me to really pursue what they loved. Everything I do, I do for my parents, and that helps me keep going!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We hold Rug Tufting Workshops at Spring Street Studios in the Arts District of Houston! Our workshops welcome all level rug tufters: experienced tufters, beginner tufters, and people who just want to make a totally custom high-quality rug. Our workshops include: – All tufting materials (such as tufting guns, tufting frames, cloths, yarn, rug glue, and rug backings)
– 100% hands-on guidance to ensure that you leave with a rug that you LOVE and are proud to look at every day
– Learning not only how to create the rug, to also shave and trim
– Full array of snacks and refreshments with a coffee bar to energize throughout the workshop
– Lounge area for breaks
– Post-workshop guidance on getting started with your own rug tufting business (including links and videos)
We are most proud of our attendees who have left our workshop and have pursued this as a small business! Many people have bought the items to get started but still felt like they needed that hands-on experience instead of watching tutorials, so they came to join us. Those people have left glowing and confident in themselves to really take on the next level. We keep in touch the best we can to help guide them and consult them on great opportunities to begin.
What sets us apart from other workshops is the level of consultation post-workshop. This includes giving people advice on best tufting guns, best sites for tips and tricks, how to market yourself and your business, etc. Our mission is to make people believe in themselves, and in order to do that, we don’t gatekeep! Another important part of our workshops is the hands-on guidance. During the entire process, we are by your side and teaching you as you work. We pride ourselves on the near-perfect rugs that beginners leave with – because, ultimately, we want each attendee to leave with something that will be high quality and that they will love to look at every day.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I’ve learned to really nurture myself and feed my soul through my love for family and friends, art and culture, and my community.
Pricing:
- $250
Contact Info:
- Website: www.habibibazaar.com
- Instagram: @habibibazaar
- Other: TikTok @habibibazaar
