Sunday Spotlight: Kensington Supply Co.

If your holiday shopping list includes a stylish woman with a keen eye for detail, look no further than the beautiful jewelry of Kensington Supply Co. Designed and created by Laura Tepper in Philadelphia, Kensington Supply Co.’s beaded necklaces strike a delicate balance and achieve a modern sensibility with a vintage feel. The pieces are bold and big on style without being overbearing or intimidating.

The Shopping Mama: Tell us a little about yourself.
Laura: I live in Philadelphia with my husband, our dog, and three cats. I consider myself a “lawyer in recovery,” as I just made the career change from practicing attorney to educational fundraiser.

TSM: Is there a “lawyer in recovery” support group? If so, how do I sign up and will you be my sponsor? When did you start making and selling your necklaces? Is this your full time work or do you have a “day job”?
L: My main hobby has been knitting, ever since my group of college friends started the tradition of knitting each other wedding blankets, about five years ago. I didn’t even start making jewelry until July, when I was unemployed and going stir-crazy. It was too hot to knit, and jewelry was quick and easy. I made a few pieces and a friend said I should sell them at a neighborhood craft fair, and Kensington Supply Co. was born! Over the months, my pieces have become more involved and this new hobby has become a side-business that I love! My full-time position as a fundraiser at Penn Law school takes up alot of my time, but making jewelry and managing my Etsy shop feels less like a chore and more like something fun and rewarding that I’m doing just for me.

TSM: What is your favorite item to make or sell?
L: I love every necklace that I make, but these days, my favorite is definitely the “Ariba Senorita!“. It embodies all of the things I love about the jewelry that I like to wear. It’s simple, but colorful, and has a vintage feel.

TSM: What is your inspiration?
L: My main inspiration is my memories of my mother and grandmother. They were both very stylish, but had very different ideas about fashion. My grandmother liked to pick bold colors and large pieces, while my mother’s jewelry was more subdued. But both of them embodied a very classic style that I’ve tried to follow in my own fashion adventures. They taught me to make a statement, while keeping it classy. I model all of my pieces on this theory and then add a touch of fun and modernity, so that each piece has a bit of each of us in it.

TSM: Exactly! I think you strike that balance very well. (And, for the record, I wrote the intro to this interview before reading this response.) Do you have any plans for new, additional products or business expansion?
L: I would like to add some knits to my business, but it’s hard to design and make them all myself. So I’m working on that! My current plan for expansion is to get my stuff in some stores outside of Philly. (I am currently on the shelves at All by Hand in Philly and Hello Bluebird in West Reading.) I’d really like to see my stuff for sale at some boutiques in Brooklyn. I lived there for five years and credit it as the place where I found my “fashion voice.”

TSM: If money were no object what is one thing you would buy right now?
L: A brownstone in Brooklyn, with original woodwork and details that I could both restore and modernize. Think original-style chandeliers next to tangerine walls!

TSM: What’s your favorite Kensington Supply Co. for gift giving this season?
L: Not to harp on the “Ariba Senorita!” but I’d have to say that’s my number one because I can make it in so many colors. But I also love “On the Heath” because it’s made almost entirely out of vintage pieces and I make every plaid bead by hand, so you know it was made with love!

TSM: What are some of your favorite Etsy shops or online boutiques?
L: I have so many! I usually troll Etsy for jewelry-making supplies, but if I’m shopping for myself, I love the printed dresses at Betterthanjam, the cool miniature look-alikes of Philly buildings at Daymaker, the awesome book-related stuff at leahmackindotcom, and the beautifully simple jewelry that my college friend Pam makes at tartanbean.

Connect! Be the first to learn about new products and crafty news out of Philly, follow Kensington Supply Co on Twitter and Fan Kensington on Facebook.

Shop! Check out all of Laura’s designs at Kensington Supply Co. “Ariba Senorita” is  $42 and “On the Heath” is $64. And my favorite, “First Friday Night Special Fuschia” (you know, just in case anyone’s taking notes) is $48.