About Us
Hello, friends! This is Genny, owner and crafter of Usagi. Thank you for visiting our new website! Bearing the page's title, this section is all about us - business, owner and team members. If you'd like to learn more about us, please go ahead and have fun reading! :)
✿ A BRIEF HISTORY ✿
Established in 2009, Usagi is known as Curls & Twirls until 2019, when I decided to rebrand it. There was no deep meaning behind it - I simply felt that my business has matured along with me over the years, and it might be time to give it a major makeover.
So why Usagi, you ask? Because it's a simple word that isn't a mouthful and rolls off the tongue smoothly. Usagi. Usagi. Usagi. It certainly passes the criteria of an ideal brand name in advertising. But more importantly, I took it because I'm Sailor Moon fan - and DTI would not accept Seller Moon as a business name. Ha!
Anyway, I opened for business when I was still in college; this was a means to earn for myself while I was preparing to work after graduation (mooching off the parents was out of the question!). At first, I sold cute and quirky novelties I curated from abroad, then I seriously got into crafts so I included handmade accessories. When I discovered the joys of creative planning, I created my own line of stationery and began selling hand-drawn stickers. Basically, what I like, I sell. I choose to breathe and live a lifestyle I love, so that pretty much reflects in my products.
Now, 13 years, 1 husband and 2 dogs later, Usagi (formerly Curls & Twirls) is still alive and open. I never did get the chance to work after graduation, but I was blessed with the experience of becoming my own boss and all the nitty gritty that comes with it. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but because of God, my support system (family) and of course, my client's continued patronage, I was able to reshape my small online business into an actual flagship store, and for that, I am humbled and forever thankful.
✿ MEET THE SHOP KEEPER ✿
My name is Genny, a wife to a pretty boy and a mom to two absolutely crazy-cute furry dogs named Pillow (a female Pomeranian) and Charlie (a male Maltese-Shih Tzu). I have a degree in Fine Arts, Major in Advertising, which I fully utilize in my business, particularly marketing and designing. My hobbies are catching up on sleep and/or meditating (whichever comes first), cooking recipes I discovered off YouTube, and decorating our condo and office with personally curated cute and pretty stuff. I also dabble in various crafts - sewing felt, making soap, and brewing massage balms among others. Still addicted to stickers, my collection of Happy Planner sticker books have multiplied by tons by now, and since last year, I've been trying *really* hard to set aside enough time to finally continue my creative planning and journaling. My planners remain unopened, but I'm not giving up. One of these days, I swear. I swear. Wish me luck!
Let's keep in touch! If you'd like a glimpse of my life outside of Usagi (sort of), let's meet over at Instagram. My username is @poringstaaar. See you? :)
✿ MEET THE TEAM ✿
I am mostly a one-woman team, but I could not have survived all the challenges I've faced so far without the support of my No. 1 Fan, my husband, Anthony. He's been there even before I opened shop, encouraging me that yes, having your own business is a good thing and no, it's not ridiculous to not have a normal day job and never, he will never ever think of my online selling as demeaning and not a real job. Those words of his saved me big time. He's my very own superhero, one who literally does the heavy lifting behind the scenes. I'm a big girl, but I'm terribly frail and clumsy, so he's always there to help me pack bigger orders and haul off all those Silhouette boxes for delivery. When he's not playing the role of shop assistant, driver, packer and occasional errand boy, he's a Senior Art Director at an upscale advertising agency.
Next is my BFF Josele, part-time shopkeeper. She's been my partner on almost all the bazaars, craft fairs and anime conventions we've taken part of since 2011. With CoVid season still active, she helps out at the HQ, but she's mostly there to make sure we're well-fed and that our coffee mugs are always full. She's the team mom who constantly fusses over us because hubby and I have this tendency to forgo meals when we get too engrossed with work. We like to tease her about this, but we really appreciate her presence and cooking!
Last of our itty bitty team is a pair of itty bitty furballs, Pillow and Charlie! These four-legged babies always keep the HQ lively. Their job is to welcome (occasionally terrorize) our clients and signal us if there's a visitor even before the doorbell rings! And like all good boys and girls, they make great stress-relievers!
✿ OTHERS ✿