Meet Erin Holtvedt | Mom and Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Erin Holtvedt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Erin, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
To begin with, my girls.

I have repped, hustled and schlepped for so many other clothing and accessory brands for so many years. Its all I have ever known. The lifestyle of samples and travel were once so glam to me, but once I had my two babes, Eleanor James and Charlotte “Sissy” Collins, the luster definitely wore off and it was time to change gears.

So, the creation process began. I knew I needed to settle down and I also knew I was sitting on so many contacts from my years of being in the business. I needed the freedom and flexibility to be a mom, but yet stay personally connected to the industry. I have always had somewhat of a creative eye and a knack for being a little too far ahead of the trends, so what better way to use my talents and business relationships then to create my own thing. It was high time to start making, repping, hustling and schlepping for my own business. A little something that would encompass all I needed to make myself and my family proud.

What should our readers know about your business?
Eleanor James Brand was started at first because I wanted to create something of my own for my family and quite frankly, I had the right contact at the right time…for once:) So, the grassroot baseline isn’t at all glamourous or wild, but I wasn’t looking to start a brand that was glamourous or wild. I wanted to create something to make people feel cool and special and I wanted it to fit a wide range of people. I think that is one of the best things about EJ, it literally can be worn with anything or on anyone and it will spice up their day by putting in on.

With those elements in mind, I got to talking to my “maker” contact and we devised our initial collaborative plan. I am creative but I do not claim to be a fashion designer, so I knew I wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel here. So, I first asked to see and have samples sent from the deep cuts of some traditional native garments and fabrics. We went back and forth with these samples, matching fabrics, resizing and reconstructing pieces before we settled on my first sample set to sale. And so the first EJ was born. It feels so good to get that off my chest, as so many people think I am designing the fabrics or sewing these jackets myself; and as much as I would love to claim those beautiful talents, I love even more to give credit to the amazing artisans who gave me the blueprints to make this happen.

This process itself was not super hard either, time consuming, but not hard. The hard part was the years that I have put into this industry to even get this kind of artisan contact. The years it has taken me to build up the contacts of people to give this brand a shot to buy it or sale it. The hard part has been the endless hours of correspondence with the makers, and the building of the website and the managing of the books and the packing and shipping into the wee hours of the morning. I am currently doing pretty much all of this on my own, with some sweet help from my husband and a few friends. and its hard. I love it and I feel really proud but its hard. But I didn’t have people support me and people doubt me to come this far and not succeed because of a little hard work.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Lord have mercy, if a friend is staying for a week, that is way too long hahah jk but for real I dont think I even know enough about the cool hangouts anymore to plan a fun week. But here are a few standouts of places I can remember:)

In no order at all, just a bout of ADD random thoughts of things we could do!

We are eating ALL the dumplings at Brewery Bhavana, We are going to go get a smoothie at Raleigh Raw and walk around downtown to soak up the city vibes. I love the Peddler salad bar but also Miltons has a pretty dope buffet too. Irregardless is on the books and so is Oku. We are seeing live music somewhere, Lincoln Theatre is one of my old school favs but I also love a Walnut Creek moment in the summer. We are definitely taking a dance class at Glow and doing a hot yoga class or two at the downtown Y. We are walking the lakes with our coffees. We are going to take the kids to Lafayette Village so they can run around while we grab margs from that driftwood cantina place…they are perfect! We are going to take the kids to Marbles, because its the best! We are also going to take them to the the Science museum, because its cool! We are also absolutely going to take a little night cruise on over to Fenton in Cary to shop, eat, drink and uber home. Im know I am blowing it and forgetting so many places, but living under a rock can do that to a person.

Realistically though, we love a good active day out with the fam or boat day on falls lake during the summer and a grill out – good jams on back porch – handmade cocktails – game night kind of situation best of all.

*I would also never turn down a week at the Umstead ♥

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I attribute my place in this world to God, my family, my friends and my failures.

To explain in a little more detail: My parent’s work ethic and endless love and support has pushed me to be the best I can be my whole life, my husband’s entire presence inspires me every day, my loving friends have always shown me extreme support and solidarity and a handful of my teachers/mentors showed me the light of where this world can take me.

I attribute my success to all of those people above and everyone who has said “Yes girl, you got this”, But I also attribute a large part of my success to the ones who said “You’re fired” or “this may not be a good fit for you” because those people helped me be a better person and to push even harder to find my place in this world.

And with that, I will always have a place in my origin story for those who gave me the chance and those who doubted or shamed me, because in the end they all help mold the person I am today.

Website: https://www.eleanor-james-brand.com/

Instagram: @eleanorjamesbrand