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When I first started dreaming about this podcast, I knew Teresa would be one of the people I’d LOVE to have on.
Not just because Texture Clothing has been around for so many years, or because Teresa has built something truly lasting, but because of the way she’s done it: thoughtfully, creatively, and in a way that feels deeply rooted in who she is.
Teresa is a textile artist and the founder of Texture Clothing, a brand she officially started in 2001. But her story in handmade business stretches back even further - into festivals, street fairs, farmers markets, and years of showing up again and again for the work she felt called to do.
And what I love most about Teresa’s story isn’t just the longevity of what she’s built.
It’s the intention behind it.
In this episode, we talk about what it looked like to build a clothing brand through markets, festivals, wholesale, and even a brick-and-mortar shop - and how that journey has evolved into the smaller-batch, custom work she’s focused on today. And honestly, it’s such a refreshing reminder that building something meaningful doesn’t always look fast, flashy, or linear.
Sometimes it looks steady.
Sometimes it looks quiet.
Sometimes it looks like staying true to what’s written on your heart, even as the shape of your business changes.
Connect with Teresa:
Texture Clothing: www.textureclothing.com
Instagram: Texture Clothing
Craft A Life You Love: https://craftalifeyoulove.com
It Started with Showing Up
Like so many businesses that last, Teresa’s didn’t begin with some huge, polished master plan.
It began with showing up.
Before Texture Clothing officially launched, Teresa was already selling hair wraps at street fairs and festivals in the early ’90s. That season gave her experience, confidence, and a way into the world of handmade business before she launched her first official clothing collection.
And one detail from her story that I loved?
She applied to the Bellingham Farmers Market and didn’t get in the first year.
Then she came back the next year.
There’s something about that part of her story that feels so important, because I think we can sometimes assume that people with decades of experience must have started with instant momentum or clear success. But Teresa’s story is a reminder that even long-lasting businesses often begin with rejection, redirection, and simply deciding to keep going.
Building Through Markets, Wholesale, and Real-Life Experience
One of the things that struck me most in this conversation is just how many versions of her business Teresa has lived through.
She sold at the Bellingham Farmers Market for 16 years.
She did festivals throughout the US and Canada.
She built a wholesale business with nearly 100 accounts.
She ran a brick-and-mortar shop for eight years.
That kind of longevity doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens by learning in real time.
By paying attention.
By refining as you go.
By continuing to show up, even when the next step isn’t perfectly clear.
Teresa shared one of the best lessons she learned early on from a market manager: create a pedestal. In other words, give the thing you want people to notice some space. Let it breathe. Let it stand out.
And honestly, that advice feels bigger than merchandising.
Because sometimes in business, the very thing you most want to offer gets buried under all the noise, all the options, all the second-guessing. There’s something powerful about creating enough space to let the important thing be seen.
You Don’t Have to Pivot Overnight
One of my favorite moments in the whole conversation was when Teresa described herself as being like a train on train tracks.
Not making a sharp 90-degree pivot.
Not suddenly changing direction overnight.
But moving slowly around the curve, maybe with a little screeching along the way.
I loved that image so much.
Because we hear so much language around pivots and reinvention and starting over, and sometimes it can feel like change is only valid if it’s dramatic. But Teresa offers such a different kind of permission: that transitions can be slow.
That they can take time.
That they can unfold gradually.
That you can know something is shifting without needing to force the next version of it too fast.
And for anyone in a season of change, that feels like such a gift.
The Heart Behind Handmade
If there’s one thing that really stayed with me after this conversation, it’s that Teresa isn’t just making clothing.
She’s creating connection.
She talked about how meaningful it is when someone buys something directly from a maker - how that interaction carries energy with it, how the piece becomes more than just fabric, how the experience can stay with someone for years.
And honestly, I felt that so deeply.
Because when you buy something handmade from someone you’ve met, talked to, laughed with, learned from - it doesn’t just become a product. It becomes a memory. A story. A little thread of connection you carry into your life.
Teresa even includes a blessing in her orders that says:
“May you feel wrapped in love every time you wear this thing.”
And I mean… if that doesn’t capture the heart of her work, I don’t know what does.
That line says everything.
Her business isn’t just about making and selling.
It’s about offering something that carries care.
Something that holds intention.
Something that reminds people they were thought of.
And in a world that can feel so transactional, that kind of work feels deeply special.
What Teresa’s Story Reminds Us
If there’s one takeaway from this episode, it’s this:
There is so much power in building at your own pace.
Not every business needs to scale bigger and bigger forever.
Not every season has to look like expansion.
Not every change needs to be loud.
Teresa’s story is a beautiful reminder that you’re allowed to build slowly, change gradually, honor what matters, and let your business evolve alongside your life.
She talks about getting crystal clear on your why.
On what’s written on your heart.
On the thing that lights you up and keeps drawing you back.
And that kind of clarity? That matters.
Because when you know why you’re doing the work, it becomes easier to keep going.
Easier to make decisions.
Easier to let your business reflect your values instead of someone else’s formula.
Building Something That Lasts
Today, Teresa is creating in a smaller, more custom way through Texture Clothing while also coaching others through Craft A Life You Love.
And even though her business looks different than it did in earlier seasons, the throughline is still there:
Intention.
Creativity.
Care.
Connection.
She’s not building for noise.
She’s not building to prove anything.
She’s building from the heart.
And maybe that’s exactly why her work has lasted.
Because in the end, the businesses that stay with us are rarely the ones that shout the loudest.
They’re the ones that feel real.
The ones that carry something true.
The ones built by people who are willing to keep showing up, keep listening, and keep creating from a place that actually means something.
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to build a business over decades instead of just seasons, this conversation is such a beautiful reminder that there is no one right way to do it.
There’s just your way.
And that is enough.
Connect with Teresa:
Texture Clothing: www.textureclothing.com
Instagram: Texture Clothing
Craft A Life You Love: https://craftalifeyoulove.com
