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Melinda Ryan owns GLO, (which stands for Good Looking Objects), a business she opened in 2012 and operates from her home in Ukiah.

It’s “jewelry for imaginative women,” she says, “Jewelry inspired by nature, daydreams and every day magic.” And while that may sound fanciful, Ryan says she still designs her pieces to be “classic, timeless and tasteful.”

Ryan grew up in Long Island, NY. Always artistic as a child, she moved to Cambridge, Mass. for art school.

“It was an important step for me and was a ticket out of Long Island into a place more creative and easy to be a growing, independent young adult,” Ryan says. She dropped out of art school after three semesters, feeling she lacked the confidence, among other things, to cope with college.

“The workload, the comparing my art to other students, and other inner qualities within myself that really needed more development. It was around this time that I started exploring mindfulness, and Buddhism, which eventually led me to Ukiah where I lived for three years at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. (Not as a monastic). That was a thoroughly interesting experience, yet I did move on and moved out of the monastery after three years, continuing to grow into an adult in this lovely community. I’ve worked with children for the past several years and am not focusing solely on my business,” she explained. Ryan has been in Ukiah for 14 years.

She picked jewelry making, because “I’ve always loved jewelry, and design really, of all kinds. As a young teen I fantasized about being an interior designer, a fashion designer, and then a graphic designer, which is what my degree would have been, in college. I’ve always been creating things and simply felt the urge one day to make jewelry and see if I could make a buck or two, perhaps selling to friends. I was very inspired by the businesses I was seeing on Etsy that were doing really well,” Ryan said.

Ryan is self-taught but has expanded her skills with workshops and support groups.

“At the core of my interests is design, and as the only employee of my business, while it can be a handful, I get to design or direct the design of every aspect of my business, from business cards to my website and of course, the jewelry,” she said.

Her biggest business challenge? “Patience,” Ryan said. “The patience to keep persevering through the years to get exposure and all the other important elements that turn an expensive hobby into a living wage.”

She also loves the connections she make with the people who buy here jewelry or compliment her on social media.

“I think I’ve had this idea in my head people in the area ‘all wear the same thing,’ and that they aren’t interested in my more petite, fairytale jewelry. But I am realizing that it’s quite silly to think that, and the amount of comments and sales I am getting from locals has shown me that they are very enthusiastic and intrigued by my designs. It’s a very lovely feeling. At my hair appointment at Halo salon the other day, I actually traded my hairstylists services for one of my designs, the Handful of Magic Necklace. I brought my tools with me to make the chain the perfect length for her. Another client came in and looked up my website as she was waiting for her appointment and was fawning over a few pieces that she really wanted — so fun!”

Ryan says she has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and took an Entrepreneurship class as her high school elective.

Her business role models are very distinct. They have a clear vibe and message, often with “moody” ambiance.

“One of my first and biggest inspirations was a very unique coffee shop where I grew up in Long Island, NY. It is called The Witches Brew and is in an old house. Two young sisters inherited the house. They knocked down many of the walls downstairs, put in some big glass windows along the side, letting daytime light flood in before night falls when all of their moody lamps and fairy lights are turned on. It is decorated with ornate antique furniture throughout, with the addition of many very handmade elements, like their collage-like menus. It’s a sort of Victorian Goth sort of space, but with a lot of heart and a dedicated customer base,” she said.

And if you think jewelry making is her whole world, Ryan worked with children for many years while she was developing her business. She worked for two years at Tree of Life Charter School and for five years before that, she was a teacher’s assistant at the Hummingbird Playgarden.Read more at:princess wedding dresses | casual wedding dresses