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Episode show notes
Credits
Host: Maggie Blaha
Theme music: “Thanks for the Memory” written by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger, performed by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in the 1938 film of the same name
Background music: Night In Venice by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5763-night-in-venice
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Maggie profiles Alesha Bales, owner of the feminist art brand Mimsy Ello. Alesha talks about why she’s an artist not a crafter, how she came up with the name for her store, and what it was like starting her online business.
You can shop at Alesha's store here.
The podcast has just undergone a rebrand to be more inclusive of its new mission. You can read more about what’s changed on Substack.
You can find Thrift: Secondhand Community Stories in a few different places on the internet. Choose how you want to follow and engage with us:
Instagram: @thriftpodcast
Facebook: @thriftpodcast
The online thrift shop is slowly coming along, which you can visit on Poshmark at the handle @thrift_podcast. For more updates, you can follow the store on Facebook @thriftpodcastshop and Instagram @thriftpodcastshop.
Episode transcript
*Note about the transcript: Em dashes (‘—’) have been used to indicate when a speaker doesn’t finish a thought or when the conversation between 2 speakers overlaps. [Punctuation decision inspired by Greta Gerwig.]
INTRODUCTION
Maggie: You’re listening to Thrift: Secondhand Community Stories. This is a podcast about thrifting, becoming a more community-minded citizen, and just getting out to explore your neighborhood.
[INTRO - 30 SECONDS]
Maggie: Hi everyone, I am, as always, your host Maggie Blaha. I know it’s been a minute since I released a new episode, and I can only apologize for that. I’ve been working on and launching some new ventures that have been taking my attention away from the podcast.
I’m afraid that new episodes will be a little more sporadic than usual as I concentrate on some other projects, but I do have new content ideas planned for Thrift that will hopefully fill the void of having fewer podcast episodes. You’ll mainly be able to access this content by signing up for my Substack newsletter, which you’ll find a link for in the show notes. And for my lovely paid subscribers, there will be some extra content for you, as well, so don’t worry.
Now, these sporadic episodes I’ll be doing will cover lots of different topics and stories. There will be profiles of thrift store owners, like the ones I’ve done of Obocho’s Closet, Dial V for Vintage, and Miss Master’s Closet; stoop, yard, garage, and estate sale interviews; and discussions with interesting people in my neighborhood and elsewhere about cool stuff they’re doing in their communities. Plus, I want to start producing episodes that focus on and explore issues like sustainability, gentrification, and social justice. I hope you’ll continue to join me on this journey.
Before I get into what this episode is about, I also want to point out that Thrift is going through a rebrand. You might have noticed in the opening that Thrift has a new name, new tagline, new logo, and new purpose. I’ve started to talk about this in other episodes and newsletters, and I’ve also written a post on Substack that goes into more detail about why I’m making these changes. You’ll find a link to that post in the show notes.
Oh, and one final plug: Please subscribe to the newsletter and podcast I’m doing about quarantine. The podcast is called Quarantine: Voices in Social Isolation, and the newsletter is called Quarantine Reviews.
OK, let’s get into the episode.
[LIGHT BACKGROUND MUSIC]
For this small business profile, I wanted to interview Alesha Bales, the owner and creator of Mimsy Ello. Alesha is a Queens-based artist and, full disclosure, I actually met her over the summer before she launched her online store at a craft stoop sale she was having with friends Sonia and Kaitlyn. The goal was to release that interview as an episode, but of course I suck at podcasting and the audio just couldn’t compete with the sound of the busy street they live on. So, sadly, I couldn’t turn this interview into an episode.
When I saw that Alesha had recently launched an online store to sell her work, I decided to reach out again to talk about the store brand, her process as an artist, and other interesting things about having a side hustle.
[CLIP OF INTERVIEW]
Maggie: So the first question I have is where does the name Mimsy Ello come from?
Alesha: So mimsy is actually a word that, historically, has been used in a derogatory way towards women, particularly revolving around witchcraft and vaginas in general it’s been used as a derogatory term. And I thought that it was just such a beautiful word and that it’s something we don’t use anymore, like I don’t ever hear anybody using that word, so why not use it as someone who’s pushing a feminist message through for all of the things I’m doing. And then ello as kind of a hello, like this is a new thing to combine both that witchcraft and feminism, which are the core beliefs of what I’m trying to do through my crafts.
Maggie: Interesting. So mimsy was kind of historically like cunt?
Alesha: Yeah, it was like a floozy person. A bit of a derogatory term for women who they thought weren’t smart or for who weren’t doing what they thought they should be doing.
Maggie: How long have you had the online store?
Alesha: I just launched it on Small Business Saturday, which was earlier last month, so that was my first time opening an online store. Primarily before that I’d just been selling through direct messages or through actual sales—stoop sales, markets, things like that.
Maggie: How did the process of setting up an online store go? Was it daunting or— Was it something you always wanted to do?
Alesha: It has been something I’ve always wanted to do. Honestly, as far back as I can remember in my life I’ve always been a creator and somebody who, even as a child, was setting up little sales. I had a little weird graphic design business out of my dad’s office when I was 12-years-old when we first started getting computers. But I’ve always wanted to put my art out there. My day job is actually working in advertising and marketing and in that digital space, so it was a really cool opportunity to use the skills I’ve learned through my daytime career path in this passion project and a side project of mine.
Maggie: Do you still do things like stoop sales to sell your products?
Alesha: I do. Obviously it’s been a little slow the past couple weeks because of the holidays, but right before the holidays I partnered with Til Death Coffee in Bushwick, they had a big creators’ market; a holiday sale for people to come sell gifts for people to buy for their friends and family instead of just ordering everything on Amazon.
Til Death also did an awesome thing where they had a booth set up where people could print all of the shipping information, box it up, and Til Death took all of the things to the post office for everybody, so you could get a one-stop-shop for all of your Christmas shopping and support local creators. So, I have been doing that. I’m hoping to do it again once the weather permits, and once the pandemic permits.
Maggie: Did it seem like the pandemic had an impact on the number of people who attended the holiday market? I know this was your first time doing it.
Alesha: Honestly there were a lot of people there. It was an outdoor market where there was plenty of space, and so I think people felt very comfortable coming to that and it also happened to fall on one of the most beautiful weekends in December. So it was a nice opportunity for people to just come out, get some coffee, check out the different vendors that were there. But it was all safe, everybody was required to wear a mask. I think every single vendor had hand sanitizer at their little table, so it was a nice way to do it. Typically those types of things are indoors, but we’ve been able to do it outside and it’s worked great.
Maggie: Yeah, I wonder if sales for small businesses have been up because, well, because they’re hurting and people want to support them, but also because 2020 seems to have been a year of just like...class warfare. A war on Bezos, basically.
Alesha: Yes! Absolutely. One of the things I’ve learned through joining what I call this creator’s system in the Bushwick and Ridgewood area is that everyone is so supportive. Everyone wants each business to be successful. I honestly think most of us spent just as much as we made on everybody else’s stuff, because we wanted to support each other.
And also we have noticed that, from the community, I’ve seen so many small businesses that actually have been able to open second locations or increase their product line because looking at what’s happening with Amazon and all of those big-box retailers, it’s just not something many of us want to support anymore.
You’re right, I think it’s exploded more this year than in the past because of everything that’s been going on. That’s part of the reason why I made those ‘Eat the Rich’ cross-stitches. [Laughing]
Maggie: I do have a question about that, because I bought one and it hangs in my kitchen. Yeah, and I think that a report came out that, basically, billionaires just got richer during the pandemic, while the rest of us have just stayed the same or have obviously floundered or you’re not making as much as you did last year. And yet the government has literally given us only one stimulus check. Why is it important for your art to have a feminist message?
Alesha: I’d say the 3 main pillars that I push through my work are feminism, witchcraft, and mental health, and I think all of those really intertwine with each other. When you look back on the history of witchcraft, and it’s a lot of where my name came from and everything, it’s a lot of women being prosecuted for normal things or for them standing up for the things that they want, and I think that that’s amazing, that’s what I want, not just women, but all people to be able to stand up and do the things that they want to do.
So combining all those messages is really important to me. I also— I’m somebody who feels [that] I have to put good out into the world, it makes me feel good if I’m doing that, so it’s an opportunity for me to push that message out to more people. I’m personally from the Midwest and so I’m still advertising my stuff to the people I know there, and they’re like, ‘Oh, Eat the Rich, what’s…,’ You know, it starts conversations. We kind of live in a bubble sometimes here in New York, so it’s a way for me to get that message outside of this wonderful bubble we have here.
Maggie: How does that conversation go? Particularly with someone in the Midwest, because I feel this has been the conversation since the 2016 election. We’re all in our own little bubbles, specifically on the East Coast, and in New York say. Are you finding that it’s easy to have these conversations?
Alesha: It’s possible, not always. You know, I don’t like to have conversations just in comments on social media platforms, and I never think that just giving facts is ever going to sway anyone’s opinion, so what I really try to do with those friends is just try to meet them where they’re at. Understand where they’re coming from in hopes that they can give me that same message back so that I can share where I’m coming from and they can learn a little bit more about it.
Unfortunately, you can’t always be so direct with those things, even though you would like to be, ‘that’s racist, you can’t say that.’ Having a little bit gentler of a touch, especially with friends, you don’t want those people to dig their heels in further. So, just creating these messages, and I’m not pushing any of this on anybody, but I post it on my social media and often get messages like, ‘Oh, what does that mean? What is this?’ I love that.
Maggie: Do you have a specific example of a piece of art that you’ve maybe shared that someone has DM’d you with a question about?
Alesha: Actually, this is kind of funny. I had done a little drawing about anti-MLMs. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes and things like that. Last week I had somebody message me saying, ‘Oh, why are you against them? What’s your problem with them?’ And we were able to have a discussion and share information like, ‘Oh, I have so many people asking me all the time, and I just want to support my friends.’ I was able to explain that, you know, there are other ways that you can support your friends, because through this is not a way to do that. And it was a really nice discussion. That person came away thinking, ‘OK, I understand this more,’ when they were on the fence. Those are very predatory companies; they attack people. So if I can help at least one person, that makes me very happy.
Maggie: How would you describe the items that you have for sale on your website?
Alesha: They’re all handmade, so that’s the first thing. All do all of it on my own, so I’m not outsourcing any of the things. No shame to anyone who does, you know, you run your business how you like. But I’m doing all the stuff by hand. Most of it is stitching work, so that’s cross-stitch and embroidery. I do the basic hoops that you see everybody do, but I also do totes, makeup bags, and a lot of the totes and bags that I do have boobs on them. That’s a major focus in a lot of my art, and usually that is the most popular thing in my art. A lot of boob-themed things.
Maggie: Where do you get your inspiration from?
Alesha: Everywhere. I’m somebody who likes to keep a lot of lists, and I like to walk around and take photos of different things. And culture, what’s happening right now, what are the issues that need to be talked about. And then I put them in my art, and that’s another way to get people to talk about them.
Maggie: I feel like cross-stitch is having a moment now, but when did you first learn it?
Alesha: I’ve actually only been doing it for about a year-and-a-half. A friend of mine taught me how to do it, and I just fell in love with it. It was so satisfying for me. It’s a nice way to get away from screen time; I’m not looking at my phone, not looking at my iPad, computer, TV. I’m literally having to look at a physical item and work with my hands, and I just loved that so I ran with it. I’ve started to add in different types of products, as well. But I just love working with my hands.
Maggie: With cross-stitch, do you think it’s funny or empowering or something else to see these messages like ‘Eat the Rich’ stitched into a hoop?
Alesha: It’s a centuries-old artform that has predominantly been done by women and it’s— For me, personally, throughout my life all I’ve seen is the typical here’s a little family or some animals or some flowers, and those are absolutely beautiful. But taking something that is centuries old and putting such a modern message to it is this contrast in balance that I find fascinating and amazing. And I also think, like you said, there’s also, not just a comeback in cross-stitch, but also just in general for vintage [and] retro things. Especially for the Millennial generation who really clings to a lot of those. Myself, personally, I’m a part of that.
Maggie: Do you think there is a division or some sort of distinction between an artist and a crafter?
Alesha: It’s a very personal thing for each person. I think for me I definitely consider myself an artist. I think art is a way of expressing yourself through something, anything, body movement— You know, I was a dancer for a really long time, and that was my art form.
You know, singing, acting, any type of art form where you are portraying some type of feeling or emotion through it, or [are] looking to cause some type of feeling or emotion for someone else. I think that’s art, and I don’t like when there’s gatekeeping around it.
Anything can be art. People who do my art, they're artists, as well. My nail technician, [they’re] an artist, as well. Anything where you are putting your heart and soul into it, I think it’s art.
Maggie: Out of the things that you’ve created or have available in the store right now, what are some of your favorites?
Alesha: I the tit tote, as I call it. It is a tote bag, you know a canvas tote bag, but I embroider a bunch of different sizes and different types of boobs on it. There’s all different kinds. There are different nipple colors, different nipple sizes, I even have some without breasts to signify people who do not have breasts but might associate with tits or breasts in general, so I just wanted [it] to be a really inclusive thing.
And that’s what started my business off is that I made one of those for myself and wore it around the neighborhood and had so many people ask about it. So I decided, OK, this is you getting over, you know, being insecure about your art. Do it! And I did, and it’s been great.
Some of the other art I have in there, I’ve been starting to create a lot of things around feminism, so putting feminists just on art or— I had some embroideries that said ‘anxiety’ or different things that kind of bring an awareness to mental health again. I really have a rotating inventory of things, I’m somebody who likes to jump around. So whenever I’m like, ‘You know, I want to try doing this type of form of art,’ and I do it.
Maggie: How long have you lived in New York City?
Alesha: I’ve lived here for almost 3 years.
Maggie: So relatively new.
Alesha: Yes.
Maggie: And you’re in Queens?
Alesha: Yes, I’m in Ridgewood in Queens.
Maggie: And have you always been in that area?
Alesha: Yes, I’ve been in the same apartment this whole time.
Maggie: So what’s it been like being an independent artist in the city?
Alesha: Wonderful. I moved here from Chicago, and I loved Chicago, I lived there for 8 years. It was a wonderful time, but the sense of community that I feel, specifically in my neighborhood in Ridgewood and in Bushwick, is unmatched. I often was scared to put my art out there because there’s a lot of competition, a lot of insecure people who feel like if you’re [being] successful, that means that I’m not. And I don’t like that, that’s not helpful for anyone. So, being in this community, here, where people prop each other up, they help each other, they buy each other’s products, is awesome. It makes you brush away those insecurities and do things you never thought you could do, which is awesome.
Maggie: Did you feel like you didn’t have that type of community in Chicago?
Alesha: I didn't. I was in a very big transition in my life. I graduated college when I first moved to Chicago and was still figuring myself out, and I know there’re all those fairy tale dreams about moving to New York and figuring yourself out, and how much of that is a placebo versus the city— Who knows and who cares? Because moving here did that for me. It made me be able to be myself and to pursue things that I was way too terrified to even try in the past.
Maggie: Do you find that— I kind of love the hustle culture of New York.
Alesha: Yes, I love the hustle culture. I do, yes.
Maggie: Everyone’s got one. So, who are some other local artists who you admire?
Alesha: One of my favorites is Elaine’s Candles. She actually was at one of the stoop sales that I had that you had stopped by. She unfortunately wasn’t there— She was working, so we were just helping her out. Again, artists helping artists. If she can’t come, then we’ll sell her products. If I can’t come, then they’ll help out. She makes wonderful candles, she’s local to the Ridgewood area. Tons of scents, always transitioning scents out. You can buy them online.
And then, my neighbor, Sonia Belonia, she has been creating amazing masks and actually just started making fanny packs that are so cool, and they say, ‘Fuck’ on the front of them. And as somebody who likes to put fun messages on their art, I love that she’s doing that. So those are two artists that I do really, really admire in the area. And they actually were some of the people that helped me to get some confidence, because I saw them doing it.
Maggie: I know I originally met you, Sonia, and Katelyn at that summer craft stoop sale. Were you able to do more stoop sales since that one?
Alesha: We have not done anymore stoop sales, but I have partaken in 2 markets. So, Myrtle Point was a new bar that was in Ridgewood that we were able to do a holiday pop-up event at, as well. And then, of course, the Tilde Death holiday market I did a few weeks ago. But many more planned this spring.
Maggie: With a full-time job and everything, how do you make time to craft? Or does it not feel like you’re having to make time?
Alesha: It doesn’t. And I’ve always been someone to hustle, as they say. I’ve rarely ever had just one job. Before I moved to New York, I was working a full-time job, and then, also, I was a dance teacher at night. So this is nothing new for me to work a day job and then work at night, but at least with this one I can do it from my couch. So it’s been perfect during this time. Unfortunately, I know a lot of performance artists are having a lot of issues right now, which is just devastating to me as somebody who used to work in that, so my heart goes out to them. I feel very fortunate that my craft right now is something that I can do from home.
[END OF INTERVIEW CLIP]
CONCLUSION
Maggie: Hope you all enjoyed that interview with Alesha, and that you’ll check out her store Mimsy Ello for her feminist-themed art. There’s a link to her online shop in the show notes. Especially now it’s really important to support independent artists and small businesses.
That’s all for this episode. Thanks for listening.
[OUTRO 30 SECONDS]
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