Today’s interview is with the lovely, Emily Orlich. She owns the shop, Broadway Scrunchies! Her story is so incredible. I really admire young people who run their own companies and shops! Emily is no exception. I really have loved getting to know Emily through this interview. Please enjoy my interview with Emily.
What is your name? How old are you? Where are you from? (If you are not comfortable saying you do not have to say where you are from!)
My name is Emily Orlich. I’m 18 years old. I live in New Jersey, around 30 min from NYC.
Tell us a little bit more about Broadway Scrunchies.
Broadway Scrunchies is an Etsy shop that sells handmade Broadway-themed scrunchies and custom scrunchies. For the custom scrunchies, you can select any text you would like and pick from a variety of fonts and colors.
What made you start Broadway Scrunchies? What was the process like?
The decision to start Broadway Scrunchies was actually very impulsive and not thought out. I was visiting my mom in the hospital and I was trying to distract myself from the sadness of the hospital so I decided to go online shopping. I wanted to buy broadway themed scrunchies and when I saw that they didn’t exist I decided I should make them! I messaged Broadway Bowtique to ask for some advice and then I started up an Instagram for the shop to make sure that there were actually people interested in buying the product. I then made a prototype and I opened my Etsy shop around 2 weeks later!
What is the design process like for your scrunchies?
Normally I get suggestions from my friends or from people on Instagram. Then I blast the show and write down quotes that I think would be good on a scrunchie. Then I make rough designs for every quote and eliminate the ones I like the least. Normally I have 2-3 quotes that I’m stuck on so I perfect the designs for each quote and then decide which one I like most. I’m a huge theatre fan so I try to decide what to sell based on what I would actually wear.
How do you manage both school, Broadway Scrunchies and everyday life?
It’s pretty tough. I try to do all my homework the minute I get home and then work on my scrunchies after. I have some severe health problems and I have treatment on Tuesday through Thursday so I try to get as much done on Friday through Monday as possible. My mom also helps me a ton because she drops all of my orders off at the post office for me. I have also mastered the art of multitasking when it comes to studying and sewing.
What’s your favorite part of owning Broadway Scrunchies?
My favorite part of owning Broadway Scrunchies is all the people I have met through it. I have made so many friends with people who own other shops or have bought scrunchies. I met my best friend Aubrey (Broadway Bowtique) through my shop and now we talk every day about almost everything! We are meeting each other at Broadway Con this year and I cannot wait!
What has it been like seeing the impact that Broadway Scrunchies is having on people? Any stories you would like to share?
It has been so cool seeing the impact Broadway Scrunchies is having on people! It’s so weird to me because I’m just a teenager sitting in my room sewing and sharing my love of theatre and somehow all of this is happening! My favorite stories are from Broadway flea market this past September. I was walking around and I saw someone wearing my scrunchie. One of my friends pointed it out to me and I started freaking out. Throughout the rest of flea, a bunch of people came up to me saying they recognized me and love my shop. It was so cool because I never thought people would recognize me in public for anything! Also, I had brought 40 scrunchies to sell at the Broadway Makers table and they all sold out within 3 hours which was really cool!
Any advice for someone wanting to start a business?
My biggest advice is to be ready for things to go very very slowly. During the first 3 months of owning my shop, I only got around 3 orders and I wanted to quit very badly. Luckily I pushed through it and now I get orders almost every day. Also, be ready to work very hard. When I started my shop I had no idea how hard it would be. Running a business is unlike any other job because it is literally 24/7. There are no holidays and no sick days. With all this being said running a business is extremely rewarding and I have never been happier!
What do you see for the future of Broadway Scrunchies?
To be honest I have no idea. I have tons of ideas in my head. I do plan on sticking to scrunchies but I’m learning that there are lots of different types of scrunchies that I’m excited to bring to my shop!
Who is a woman that you look up too in the theatre community and why?
Oh my goodness there are so many! To start off every single woman in the Broadway Makers Alliance inspires me because they are all incredible, hard-working, and kind. But I guess if I had to choose one person I would choose Caitlin Kinnunen. As a member of the LGBT+ community who struggles with health problems, Caitlin is a huge inspiration to me. When I saw her as Emma in The Prom it touched me in ways no other performance has ever touched me before. On top of her talent and advocacy for the LGBT+ community, Caitlin is also open with her struggles with diabetes. I don’t have diabetes but I do have my own health issues that severely impact my life and it’s inspiring to see someone as successful as Caitlin being open and honest about her health issues.
Thank you for this amazing interview, Emily! You are so amazing and inspiring! Please go check out Broadway Scrunchies on Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/BroadwayScrunchies) and go check out her Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/broadwayscrunchies/?hl=en). Please go check her out and support her shop! If you go check out her Etsy and Instagram, please tell her Broadway Babes Blog sent you! Emily, thank you for your time. You are awesome!
Until next time,
Marisa
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