Meet Bri Gates | Owner & Maker at Bumble and Birch Laser Art

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bri Gates and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bri, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?

Diving into selling my products wholesale has been the absolute most important decision I’ve made for my business thus far.

At the beginning of my business, I was focused almost exclusively on selling direct to my customers, mostly through Etsy and my own website. Selling direct like this allowed me to closely connect with my customers, but it continued to cost me so much time (and money) in marketing my products and manufacturing each item one at a time. Around that time, I started looking into how to diversify my revenue streams, mainly so I wouldn’t burn myself out completely by the constant hustle mode in which I was running. One well-supported option for product-based businesses like myself was selling wholesale. Selling wholesale would mean that I could batch-create my products and have greater control over my time and energy.

In August 2021, I applied and was accepted to sell my products wholesale on Faire*, a marketplace that connects independent wholesale makers to retail stores. I truly went into selling wholesale blindly, but thankfully Faire made the process very easy. Within 24 hours of launching my wholesale shop, I received my first order – a local bookstore in Colorado. I flailed through that first order having no clue what I was doing (I didn’t even have retail packaging ready), but it got much easier to manage with each wholesale order that came through. Within 3 months of selling wholesale, I was able to confidently batch create my full line of products and had a better grasp over my day to day schedule. I was also able to quit my day job because wholesale had brought a substantial (and repeat) cash injection into my business.

It’s now been over a year that I’ve been selling wholesale to retail stores, and Bumble and Birch products are sold in over 125 retail stores across the US, Canada, and Sweden. It’s a wonderfully surreal and fulfilling feeling to walk into a brick and mortar store and see your products on the shelves. Wholesale is now my primary revenue stream that supports me as a full-time artist and it has allowed me to connect with so many amazing entrepreneurs that manage bookstores, gift shops, stationery stores, and more.

I am certain that making the decision to sell wholesale saved my business. Without my wholesale revenue stream, I wouldn’t have had the ability to take back ownership of my time or to take the leap into being a full-time artist.

What should our readers know about your business?

I am the owner and maker behind Bumble and Birch Laser Art, a sustainable wood stationery and gift brand that brings a touch of whimsy and nature to your daily routine. My products are all handmade from sustainably sourced wood, which means that the wood is harvested from responsibly and sustainably managed forests.

I am wildly passionate about bringing a little bit of nature back into our daily routines, whether it’s journaling in one of my Starry Mountains wood journals or marking your page with a wood bookmark.

Two years ago when I started Bumble and Birch, I was wood burning earrings by hand with my little pyrography pen as a side hustle on Etsy. Now, I am a full-time artist and business owner that has my products sold in stores around the globe. The process was (and is) an incredibly hard uphill battle that often tests every aspect of me, but it is also the most fulfilling thing I’ve done in my life. I attribute where my business is today to two things: 1) the ability to be nimble and pivot when needed and 2) having an amazing support system of entrepreneurs to bounce ideas around together.

I have learned many business-related lessons along the way, but I’ve also learned so much about myself as a person too. Kiwi Schloffel recently said on the Proof to Product podcast “building a business is one of the most intimate things you can do with yourself” and it has resonated with me more than I can explain. I’ve learned how to trust myself and listen to my intuition more, I’ve learned that it’s important to spend time on projects/things that bring me joy, and I’ve learned that it is okay to not know everything and to ask questions when needed. Business owning is not and will never be easy, but it does enable you to live your truth and share your creativity with the world. What more can anyone ask for.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Denver, CO, and there are endless opportunities for adventures here! We could start in Denver, where there’s ample choices of amazing breweries and restaurants. One of my all-time favorite places to take visitors is the 14er Brewery because their Chilli Beer is out of this world! The outdoors is my happy place, so I would take them on a tour of all the many parks and peaks that Colorado offers. Rocky Mountain National Park is of course a must, but we could visit Grand Lake along the way – a cozy mountain town nestled next to the Rockies (and where my husband and I got married). Steamboat Springs is also a must-see for sure. Walking the main street will give you “Gilmore Girl’ vibes, just with more snow and mountains. Off the Beaten Path Bookstore is a great place to grab a new book, snack, and you can even pick up some Bumble and Birch products there too. The week would be packed with all the best breweries, bookstores, and hikes that Colorado has to offer.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband (Michael) and my Tiktok family.

My husband has had my back through this entire process, from back when I was hand-burning my designs into wood as a side hustle all the way to now as an established full-time artist with over 125 retail partners across the globe.

My Tiktok follower family has been an incredible source of support, encouragement, and advice as I’ve gone along my journey as well, and I am forever grateful for the connections I’ve made with them!

Website: https://bumbleandbirch.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumbleandbirch/

Other: If someone is interested in applying to sell wholesale on Faire, here’s my affiliate link if you’d like to include it: https://www.faire.com/apply/bumbleandbirch There’s no fee at all for a seller to apply using my affiliate link, and it helps me continue my dream of being a full-time artist/entrepreneur.