Maha Montaz started making jewelry at the beginning of the pandemic and has been able to develop her hobby into a business venture.
“It was 2020, so that’s how I was coping with COVID I’ll be honest, I was like, ‘I wanna make something pretty,’” said Montaz, a University of Mary Washington senior.
On March 28, Montaz tabled at the UMW’s annual night market, a vendor event where students are able to sell various products to the community. The market, which was held in the ballroom of the Cedric Rucker Community Center, gave students a platform to sell their products as well as the experience of being a vendor at a market.
Montaz, who started making jewelry during the pandemic, has taken various opportunities to get her business into larger forums. After posting her creations online and gaining traction from an audience, she decided to start selling some of her jewelry. Though Montaz started selling products online, she has also sold products at markets and other vendor events.
“The first time I did it was two years ago at the punk rock flea market,” she said, “and to me, that was like a complete mess.”
According to Montaz, the darker themes of the flea market did not mesh well with her jewelry.
“I was making stuff that was very whimsical and they were like, not vibing with it,” she said. “I was also actively making stuff while I was selling because I didn’t have enough stock.”
Despite the setback, she continued to find other opportunities to sell her products and used this event as a learning experience. For Montaz, planning a market takes six months to a year, time that she spends looking at the target audience and determining which products they would like.
“For example, if I’m selling to college students, I can’t price them as high, so it’s also affordable,” she said. “What do college students — specifically UMW students — like? I know a lot of students here are, like, very whimsical. They like very core stuff. So I try to gear my stuff towards that,”
Montaz curates her style based on her client base, which includes her fellow college students. (Photos by Bex Colley)
Montaz has been able to sell her products at campus-wide events and Possum-bilities, a shop in downtown Fredericksburg. Though she has found her stride as an entrepreneur, it hasn’t always been easy.
“I feel like when people hear that you’re selling stuff from your dorm or you’re doing small markets, they don’t take you seriously, and they don’t see the work behind it,” she said.
To combat that mentality, Montaz started posing behind the scenes of her business and jewelry-making to include customers on her journey.
“I’m posting on Instagram or TikTok. I’ll be like, ‘Hey, this is a pack an order with me’ or something. And, they’ll see what I’m doing. So they’re they don’t get scared of, question where is it coming from?” she said.
According to Montaz, connecting with customers is an aspect that she appreciates when doing markets as opposed to selling online or having a company make products for her.
“Selling online is definitely easier,” she said. “You take pictures of it, and then fill in the form, this is the price, and boom, it’s out in the world. But I think selling in person is so much better. I love talking to people, I get to see the actual reactions and talk with them.”
Montaz intends to continue her business venture beyond college, though it will be in a different capacity; she has taken a step back from selling her products at Possum-bilities. She plans to have a table at different comic conventions throughout the year, such as GalaxyCon and Awesome Con in Washington, D.C.
“I want to keep at a pace where I’m still making connections with people. It’s personable,” she said “Your first buyers are going to be your family and your friends,”
The community she has been able to build through her jewelry business has fueled her ongoing business aspirations.
“The passion is what keeps me going,” said Montaz, “because it’s really easy to get caught up in the money and then lose your passion.”
