Y’all staying cool out there or what? Thankfully, my desk is positioned very close to the AC unit, so I’m doing just fine. Thanks for asking! ;-) There’s one thing the heat hasn’t slowed down, and that’s the influx of several new arrivals and restocked items in our brick & mortar. August is shaping up Read More
NOW- August 4th: take $10 off orders of $75 or more, in-store AND online at http://shop.betsyandiya.com! We’re in the midst of another heat wave in Portland, and we want you to enjoy the comforts of The Great Indoors – like AC – while you shop all the jewelry, home goods, body care, and more that our brick Read More
I remember the day I got my Arkadiko necklace. It was the first fall I worked here and I’d never seen anything like it, so therefore, I had to have it; I placed my order and watched Alyssa make the one that would become mine later that same day. My favorite detail of the necklace, part of Read More
News if you’re not in Portland: it’s been realllllly hot this summer. In an effort to wear as little as possible and still be able to go out in public, we present our favorite “look hot, stay cool” solution: raw silk crop tops by Argaman & Defiance! Anna S. and Barrie demonstrated just how comfy Read More
Our last all-staff hang set the bar high; the production team planned a private salsa dancing lesson for our group, followed by drinks and snacks. The evening was an educational (new skills!) and fun (music! moving! libations!) experience for all. This time, it was Team Office’s turn to plan something, and Betsy, Will, and myself Read More
It’s been nearly a year since we hosted the release party for a line of modern metal hair ties, the brain child of two rad-tastic Portland lady makers: Shannon from Caravan Pacific, and Erin of Studio ERG. Designed by Shannon and manufactured by Erin, the hair ties that we currently sell online and in-store come Read More
Have you ever wondered what day-to-day life looks like for a betsy & iya maker? Thanks to the magic of Periscope, a relatively new live streaming service that’s connected to Twitter, we’re able to share behind-the-scenes moments – called ‘broadcasts’ – as they happen. That’s right, this live stream is an unfiltered, up-to-the-minute look into the work of Read More
We have good news and bad news. Good news: we’ll be open till 9pm on First Thursday, July 2nd, normal hours Friday, July 3rd, and 10am- at least 2pm on Saturday July 4th (call the shop after 2pm to confirm afternoon hours: 503-227-5482). Bad news: the year is now officially halfway over. But let’s not dwell on the Read More
Small biz life: we’re living it daily, and we want to share what we’re learning. This post is part of our small businesses advice series for creative entrepreneurs (or any kind of entrepreneur) intended to help anyone who’s just starting to think about taking the next step in their business- even if that step is the very first one. Read More
One style of shirt that looks amazing on several women: some might call this an item of fashion folklore, something they’ve heard about, dreamt about, but never actually seen. I’m here to show you that this shirt not only exists, but is currently for sale on our racks. #DreamsDoComeTrue Tienda Ho Jodi top, $134, seen L to R: Read More
As a jewelry maker, you see it all. From the supplies needed to make a piece laid out on your workbench, to the tools needed to bring them together, each step of the process is an up close and personal show. I passed Taylor recently annealing a tray of brass pieces that will eventually be Read More
It’s one of the most frequent jewelry styling questions we get: how do you layer necklaces without looking like you carelessly put on every piece of jewelry you own? If you’ve been to our shop, you might have noticed that the majority of the necklaces displayed in our windows and throughout the shop are already Read More
Well, here’s some cool news: betsy & iya can now claim the distinction of being one of Portland Business Journal’s “100 Fastest Growing Companies” in Oregon this year! Look, we got a trophy to prove it! Betsy, Will, and myself attended the event honoring these 100 companies and it was truly a spectacle. A room inside Read More
If you google image search “perfect maxi dress” this is what should appear: it’s lightweight, it’s versatile, it’s throw-on-and-go goodness. I asked my fellow Anna to model it, and she shows off the dress perfectly. The front panels that cover the girls can be arranged in a variety of ways (two shown below) and the Read More
Small biz life: we’re living it daily, and we want to share what we’re learning. This post is intended to help any maker who’s just starting to think about wholesaling their goods, or needs a refresher on how to get noticed by a retail buyer. Picture this: one day, it was all clear to you. Read More
Who cares if the “official” start of summer is still a few weeks away? The weather in Portland over the last few days – sunny and HOT – has us all ready to embrace longer days and shorter attention spans to be anywhere without a cold beverage and body of water close by. Luckily, the shop Read More
We were lucky enough to have the day off for Memorial Day, and when we all returned to work on Tuesday, it was a FULL house up in production. Our team of makers has grown steadily over the past few months, this I know, but something about seeing them all together this week in the studio Read More
We’re doing our own spring cleaning at b&i HQ and for us, that means pruning our jewelry line to ensure that what we offer is the freshest, most cohesive representation of betsy & iya. This time, we’re saying goodbye to over 35 styles, and to give these pieces a proper send off, they’re available online for the LAST Read More
When it’s nice outside, Portland comes alive and is eager to indulge its favorite pastime, eating. So, it makes sense that the Portland-based food power trio Marnie Hanel, Andrea Slonecker, and Jen Stevenson would author a guide to two things Portland excels at: eating and being outside. Enter, The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket. This book is the definitive guide Read More
For our quarterly staff bonding event, we headed to the Viscount Dance Studio in SE Portland for a group salsa lesson. Betsy, Will, and Shea had all taken salsa lessons before, but most of us were super duper beginners. Our teacher Sarah was incredibly patient and led us through an hour and a half of steps ranging Read More