Meet the Vendor: FAE Designs

By Sarah Hurley

Faith Eyler has lived in North Carolina her entire life, born and raised on a family farm in Randolph County. Her creative spirit flourished at a young age. She began making jewelry for fun at six years old, then transitioned to making it professionally at seventeen, but she didn’t believe her passion for crafting could constitute a career she could pursue full-time. So, after high school, she began a regular retail job at Hobby Lobby—where many recreational crafters flock for work—and worked her way up through various promotions for about eight years.

However, in 2018, things changed. It began with Faith’s need for a wallet, just big enough for credit cards and a little change pouch. At the time, Hobby Lobby housed a small section of merchandise for leatherwork, a craft which Faith thought couldn’t be too different from basic sewing—an art she’d already taught herself, with a bit of help from her mother and sister. Undaunted by the challenge of teaching herself a new skill, Faith found a few videos on YouTube and scoured Pinterest for ideas before purchasing some basic tools and scrap leather. A little while later, she had a fully functioning handmade wallet.

Because Hobby Lobby is such a hub for creative personalities, the employees there often like to chat about their respective artistic projects. During one such conversation, Faith showed her new wallet to a co-worker, who expressed her admiration and asked if Faith could make one for her as well. Faith happily agreed, and soon another coworker requested a similar wallet, then another asked if she would be willing to make some accessories for a Renaissance festival costume. Faith was shocked—she’d only been practicing leatherwork for a month, and already, she had an eager clientele!

When she first began FAE Designs, her primary avenues for conducting business were pop-up shops and craft markets. Around a year ago, however, she approached Minkology owner Wendi Mink about becoming an official Minkology vendor. Faith had been inside the shop several times and liked its artsy, local vibe, and Wendi likewise thought Faith’s work would make a stellar addition to Minkology’s line-up of local artist offerings. Faith was excited to have her leather items and jewelry displayed in a brick-and-mortar shop for more standard hours, as opposed to solely operating via shorter and more sporadic pop-up markets.

Today, FAE Designs is Faith’s full-time job. It was “truly a God thing,” she says, that allowed her to pursue her creative passion as a career, while also leaving plenty of time for hobbies like traveling, exploring national parks, and making music. She credits the endless support of her family and community for making FAE Designs’ success possible.

Going forward, Faith is excited to expand her business and open an online shop for FAE Designs, making it easier for customers to order from her regular selection of products and commission custom pieces. Recently, she has been focusing on developing a collection of coastal and nautical-inspired jewelry and learning how to use the laser-engraving machine she purchased to enhance opportunities for personalization in custom orders.

Faith loves to know that her items play a role in cultivating others’ opportunities for self-expression and creativity through the items they own, wear, and carry. Many of her favorite projects are custom orders, such as an embroidered guitar strap incorporating art inspired by one customer’s favorite song lyrics. She enjoys mixing contemporary styles and designs with a craft as timeless as leatherwork. “Knowing a trade that has surpassed all kinds of cultures,” Faith says, “for years and years of generations, and being able to hold on to that and keep it alive is something that I really value.”

Connect with Faith and FAE Designs on Instagram and Facebook.