Exclusive Gen Con Interview With Small Business ‘The Evergreen Burrow’
Image Source: CultureSlate
While at Gen Con, a fun-filled geeky board game/RPG convention, I had the opportunity to talk to a small business owner about what it’s like to attend conventions and what she likes most about them. The Evergreen Burrow’s shop mostly consists of unique and handcrafted dice sets, embroidered wall hangings, earrings, and other fun small decorative items that will excite any booklover and geek alike.
CS: What is it like coming to the con as a small business? What is the process you go through to get here?
TEB: I do a lot of conventions in general, small shows and big shows. As far as prep goes, I’ve been preparing for Gen Con for 6 months. I’ve been making sure that all of our very special products arrive, are finished, and look good. I have been doing setup run-throughs for the last week or two. [laughs] I ended up coming up with 3 different products the weekend before Gen Con. As a small business I have a lot of flexibility with product release with hey, I have a cool idea, let’s see what I can do. But I don’t have as much reach or manpower or labor as one of the bigger companies. I love Gen Con. It’s one of the most organized conventions that I do and that makes my life a whole lot easier. I’m very type A in that I like to get everything planned and set up and my Ts dotted and I’s crossed.
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I do go to about 15 or 20 conventions a year. This is my full-time gig. I quit my corporate job in Feb of 2020, which was a choice that I’m glad I did and I refuse to look back. I’ve had an incredible road and we are just doing more and more shows and getting better and better and worse and then better and better. Overall I try to be better than I used to be.
Image Source: The Evergreen Burrow
CS: Where did you come up with the name The Evergreen Burrow?
TEB: Originally I was doing photography with my college roommate. We went to our local craft/art fair and thought we can totally do this. The name started because the Burrow was a reference to our apartments which was named after the Burrow in Harry Potter and Evergreen was our Wi-Fi password. It organically became The Evergreen Burrow. It’s meant to evoke coziness and nature and a little bit of nerdiness.
CS: Besides deciding to do this entrepreneur path after quitting your day job, did you do this kind of crafting beforehand?
TEB: I’ve been doing conventions for 12 years at this point. Like I said I started with photography and then I moved into doing a lot of recycled art for craft shows. My college friends dragged me to Anime Con and I was like wait a second, these people are selling what I do except inside in the air conditioning, they provide a table, you don’t have to haul as much stuff, and it’s all nerds. I never looked back. I made sure it was going to be a good decision before I made the leap. It’s been so good for me. My commute is a whole one flight of stairs. I go into the studio, make stuff all day, and then I go to sleep. It’s pretty great.
Image Source: The Evergreen Burrow
CS: You handcraft a lot of your dice. What is that process like:
TEB: I hand make my own silicone molds under pressure from 3D-printed masters and once those are cured I pour in resins and whatever inclusions. Some of the ones I’ve used are mica power, alcohol ink, sparkly foil, or flowers. I’ve done everything from tiny pieces of tablecloth to literal actual dirt in dice and they all turn out fine. Once those are poured into the molds, they go under pressure in a pressure pot. They are cured for 12-24 hours depending on the resin. When they come out, I remove the flashings, sand them, throw them in the tumbler for 24-48 hours, clean them up, and ink them. It’s a multi-day process.
CS: What are some of the other conventions you attend? Where can people find you next?
TEB: I have a list of conventions on my website which is www.theevergreenburrow.com but my next convention is Dragon Con. After that, I have a couple of local cons. I’m doing Multiverse Con which is a smaller convention focused on inclusion, and diversity. They’re doing a real good job and I want to support them in that. I’m also doing Holiday Matsuri in Orlando, Florida in December. I’m not sure what else the world holds but look at your local convention for nerdy stuff and it might be me.
Image Source: The Evergreen Burrow
Thank you so much to The Evergreen Burrow for taking the time to chat. You can find their products on the website www.theevergreenburrow.com. They also have a newsletter you can sign up for with new product information and a list of upcoming conventions. If you’re looking for unique dice or just general nerdy/geeky items from a small business, this is the one to check out!
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