Interview with a blogshop owner

This interview with a blogshop owner was taken from The Sun website: http://www.thesundaily.com/article.cfm?id=52327

The interview reveals motivations to start a business, which is has great SIMILARITIES with what I have found from previous interviews (esp. Mylo and Athena).

In these cases, the entrepreneurial spirit arose out of a desire to provide what was not currently available in the market (price deficiencies), and a business based on self-production/self-design of the products.  In this instance, it is also likely that the entrepreneur's passion has driven the venture.

Thus we establish three major themes underlying these businesses: PASSION à ENTREPRENEURIALIZING à MODELLING A BLOGSHOP BUSINESS.
Blogshop address: http://the-lollipop-house.blogspot.com/

Lee’s latest design of fabric bracelets with charms.

When you think of lollipops, it will most likely remind you of those mouth-watering memories of consuming colourful flavoured candies religiously when you were younger. Those enticing fruity flavours and glossy-looking glazed candies never fail to tempt you into buying a stick or two. If you did not manage to resist those temptations, you would probably fall in love with these handmade accessories made of glass tiles, looking almost like lollipops. 


Having a vibrant appeal, the-lollipop-house.blogspot.com burst of all things colourful – be it glass tile necklaces, rings, fabric-made head bends, bracelets and even bookmarks. Although Christine Lee, 30, did not have a designing background, the accounts and finance graduate was determined to fulfil her search for glass tile ear-rings.


"I was looking for a particular type of ear-rings in Malaysia and couldn’t find them. Once I did stumble upon several varieties at other blogshops, but found that they were too expensive. Then I thought, why not I make my own! Everything just fell into place as I was also looking for opportunities to venture into something different from my job nature as an operations personnel with the accessories division under FJ Benjamin," explained Lee. 


In Lee’s collection of glass tile necklaces and rings, you will be able to find a tinge of quirkiness and a breath of fresh design direction apart from the usual costume jewellery which are available at your local accessories outlet. Inspired by people and her surroundings, images which are used to complete these glass tile pieces are often based on her random musings. 


"The images could be of anything and everything fun. I’ve received feedback saying that some of the images used actually manage to relate personally to their characteristics. There are also images which I’ve purchased from stock image companies. I have also made some which are for causes such as breast cancer awareness and positive messages written onto paper and created as one of the images," added Lee. 

Christine Lee’s accessories collection is inspired by daily musings.

Making a purchase is less of a hassle as Lee’s accessories are tagged with prices and are inclusive of postage charges. As for Malaysian buyers, postage is free of charge. 
"At the moment, I am also exploring the possibilities of making accessories out of fabric. So far, I’ve done bracelets and necklaces," expressed Lee. 


When asked if costume jewellery retailers are competitors of her business, Lee stated that she is confident that handmade accessories possess more character than ready-to-wear pieces. 


"When you purchase something at the boutique or store, chances are you might get something which someone already have. However at the-lollipop-house, you can find something more personalised and you don’t have to worry that someone else has the same piece as I only do one-off pieces," added Lee. 


Stylish yet affordable, the pieces of statement accessories are priced from RM12.90 to RM29.90. Simple customisation is also available at the blogshop.