WUWM is committed to covering issues our listeners have said are top priorities. That includes the economy. As part of that coverage, we’ve been exploring how the economy is impacting Wisconsinites with different financial needs and concerns.
That’s how we first met Ryan Faurie, a business owner and mother living in Greendale. Her business, HandmadeMKE, specializes in fashion accessories like headbands and clips for special events.
Along with her husband, Will, she’s raising a 13-year-old daughter and looking toward the future. But business has been tough. Faurie says tariffs and an uncertain economy has made it difficult for her to plan for what’s next. She spoke with Lake Effect's Joy Powers to share how she's navigating the current economic climate.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Joy Powers: How would you say things are looking for your business right now?
Ryan Faurie: I had a rough start to the year. Again, I tried to stay afloat running sales. If anyone has an online business, the people like free shipping over any kind of discount. And then really, two or three weeks ago, things have kind of – not flatlined – but we’ve definitely seen a drop off. And I don't know if that's a reaction to what's happening in Iran or what. But yeah, my husband and I have had the conversation of, "okay, we're going to start setting aside a certain amount of money just in case I have to go find a different career." But I'm pretty stubborn. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, so I can't fail.
"My husband and I have had the conversation of, 'okay, we're going to start setting aside a certain amount of money just in case I have to go find a different career.'"
Speaking of your family, your daughter is at one of those kind of pivotal ages. She's 13 years old, growing, needing different things. How are price tags looking?
Yeah, we just had to buy new shoes again. And everything feels like it's $100. And if you find something on sale, it's $75. Even shopping at Plato's Closet or TJ Maxx, still, you never feel like you're getting a good deal.
As you're looking at the future, what are your hopes? When you look six months down the line, a year down the line, what are your hopes for your family and for your business when you think about the economy especially?
I think last time I said that my dreams have gotten smaller. And I will say that has not changed. If anything, they've gotten maybe even a little smaller than that. I hope that my business just stays afloat until the world kind of settles down. I don't know if it will ever go back to normal. I guess I hope that, for my family as well, that we stay safe. Everything is just so chaotic right now, in all aspects of life.
We're supposed to go on a family vacation at the end of August. Hopefully that's still going to happen. When I look at my business, I get so frustrated because I feel, in a way, that I'm back to where I was in the beginning – when I'm looking at small purchases and being like, ‘can I justify this? Does this make sense?’ And it's just hard to see something that you put so much time and effort into and watch it struggle – not necessarily through bad decisions you've made, but just everything that’s happening that's outside of your control.
"It's just hard to see something that you put so much time and effort into and watch it struggle – not necessarily through bad decisions you've made, but just everything that’s happening that's outside of your control."
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