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ALUMNI ALUMNI
From the Academy to Etsy
IADT- Tampa graduate, Rebecca Kruse, takes her knowledge, experience and designs
in a new and exciting direction- online.
words by julie stout
portrait by xong hang
When Rebecca Kruse graduated from high school
in 1989, the only thing she had on her agenda was
travel. She was out of high school and ready to
explore the world and experience it the way she
always dreamed of. She left Tampa and her part-time
job at as a salesperson at Contempo Casuals to soon
find herself in California where she dropped anchor
and landed a job on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.
The European military and steampunk-inspired
boutique, International Warbabies-L.A. was filled with
the hottest fashion-forward trends. Steampunk, a Sir
Alfred Lord Tennyson meets cyberpunk fashion was
perfect for her.
She had no idea that working as a retail salesperson
would be so fast-paced and demanding. When asked
why she left International Warbabies-L.A. after eight
months, she simply said, “Why be a small fish in a big
pond when I can be a big fish in Tampa?” The time
she spent on Melrose taught her many things, but
the biggest lesson was that she had a lot to learn.
Rebecca moved back to Tampa and Contempo Casuals
agreed to take her back as an Assistant Manager and
Visual Display Coordinator for the Westshore and the
Tampa Bay Plaza locations. “Never burn bridges,” she
said when asked how she managed to not only get her
job back, but also get a promotion.
A few years later, she was approached with a better
opportunity. At the time, luxury department
stores were rare in Tampa - especially ones that
were family-owned. Going from a small retail
store like Contempo Casuals to a much larger,
high-end department store like Maas Brothers
was exactly what she needed. “Contempo was a
great experience, but when I was approached by
Maas Brothers to be a Handbag Specialist making
more money with a merchandise allowance, how
could I pass it up?” she said. It was 1993. She was
anchored again, back in Tampa. Life was good.
In 1994, she started school at the International
Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa. “I
was attracted to the school mostly because of the
courses, the staff, and the teachers. The school
offered the classes that would actually prepare me
for the jobs I saw myself wanting in the future.”
While in school, Rebecca met with the Career
Services Department and they told her about
an opening at a boutique in North Tampa called
Euphoria. Within a few years she was promoted
to the Merchandising and Visual Display Manager
position, Buyer and eventually the Store Manager,
until the owner decided to close the store in 1998.
That same year, Rebecca graduated and opened
Ultra, a trendy boutique located in beautiful
downtown Tampa. “Starting a business wasn’t easy.
There was a lot of risk involved,” she said. “I still had to
work to earn a steady income. My husband worked at
the store during the day while I worked at Burdines.”
After winning the Best of the Bay Reader’s Choice and
Critics Choice Awards from the Weekly Planet and
being recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential
People, Rebecca decided to close Ultra. The city
had torn up the streets around the store, making
it impossible to attract business in addition to an
unfortunate incident where Rebecca and her husband
were robbed at gunpoint at the store; the dream of
being a boutique owner quickly became another part
of her past. Again, she was ready to move on.
In 2001, Rebecca was hired at Betsey Johnson.
Betsey’s whimsical style was very popular at her
boutique. From 2001-2004 she was the employee of
the month several times for managing one of their
top 10 stores. “I enjoyed putting together my sales
team. The key is to recognize people’s strengths,”
she said when asked how she over achieved her
sales goals. When offered the opportunity to take
over the Madison Avenue store, she declined. After
all, she was a big fish now.
A few doors down from the Betsey Johnson store
was Wolford, a luxury hosiery boutique. Through
a little research she found that a management
position was open. She applied and accepted a
position that paid more than what she was making.
When asked why, she simply stated, “If you want to
move up, don’t wait for them to ask you.” She once
again put together her team, bringing her top sales
associate, Jill Triplett, over from Betsey Johnson.
Her Wolford manager’s meetings were based out of
Austria, where Rebecca would travel to meet with
the CEOs of the company. “They toured us around
the manufacturing facility. The machines reminded
me of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The
place was spotless,” said Rebecca.
After working for Wolford for a few years, Rebecca
decided she wanted a family. In 2009, when she was
ready to get back in to the industry, she contacted
her much-trusted associate, Jill Triplett. After
six months of tedious research, their company,
Bijou Bloom was born. “Bijou,” says Rebecca, “means
jewelry crafted with love and care which is exactly
how we feel about each piece we design. Our
main thought process was to have a product that
looks eclectically high-end, but at a much more
approachable price point than the luxury products
we were used to selling. Whimsy-Vintage Girl is a
great way to describe the Bijou Bloom customer.”
When asked why she decided to take her business
online to etsy.com, Rebecca explained her shift in
wants and needs. “When I was younger, I wanted to
be and do everything fashion, but now my passion is
my family. Starting my business online gave me the
opportunity to grow a business from home. That’s
the beauty of owning an online business. I can be
with my children and not have the risks involved
with signing a lease, hiring employees or any of the
other various business-related costs involved with
having a brick-and-mortar store.”
She went on to say, “Another thing about etsy.com
is that it’s affordable and easy to start-up. All you
need is a business license to get started. The world
is our customer. We have twenty-two pieces listed
on our online store and we have over a hundred that
we bring with us to the craft shows. Shows are great
because people come with intent to buy. If you
make amazing pieces and keep the price points low,
people can afford to fall in love with your creations.
We use materials from Canada, China, Ireland, and
Lithuania - all in which we find through etsy.com.
You’d be amazed at what you can find: one-of-akind,
vintage materials – brass folding fans, Czech
beads, Vintage Bakelite beads, anything you can
imagine,” Rebecca excitedly shared.
Rebecca’s advice to someone starting a business is
to, “be open to learning, value all of your resources
and network! You never know who you will meet
and how they can play an integral part in your
career.” She shared that her education helped her
understand that merchandising and marketing
are extremely important skills to have. “Marketing
classes really help you think outside of the box.”
Rebecca also works as a part-time Visual Merchandise
Coordinator for Lacoste. A typical day for her when
she’s not making jewelry consists of working closely
with managers to make sure they have what they
need more and less of so that the Lacoste standards
are properly executed. She is responsible for eight
stores in the Tampa Bay area including Macy’s,
Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus. In addition, she was
also hired as the Sales Representative for Jessica
Simpson Dresses.
Although she keeps herself involved in many areas
of fashion, when asked what her ultimate goal was
she said it would be to focus on the jewelry and be
entirely wholesale. When asked what her greatest
accomplishment was in life she simply stated,
“I’ve found the balance of being a wife, a mother,
and an entrepreneur.” “Don’t limit yourself,” she
advises. “Dip your toe in several pools and find the
quality of life you deserve.”
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