Howdy yall! We are glad yall are here to join us for this third blog feature! Today we are here with Meagan, owner of Sookie Sookie. She's here to tell us all about the business. She's also letting us in on what she and her family like to do for fun on their getaways. So, here we go!
Meet Meagan Smith, AKA Sookie. She has lived all over Texas but claims Round Rock as to where she is from, since she graduated high school from there. She has been married to her husband for 8 years and they have 3 beautiful girls.
Believe it or not, before she was Sookie Sookie she was a paralegal. She knew she wanted something more and was getting bored with the "real job". She knew she had a purpose in life to do more!
We asked her how Sookie Sookie came to life and when she started and here is what she had to say. "Okay, so I feel like I need to tell two stories that merge into one because Sookie Sookie was a clay jewelry business that I did not originally own. It’s a weird “God thing” if you will. I’ve always been an artist, but I didn’t start to
pursue it as a profession until I was in the middle of college, bored, with the calling to create art in some fashion and sell it. I loved the atmosphere of trade days and flea markets, displaying product in my booth, and meeting kindred spirits along the way.
There’s a magic that happens out there that is hard to explain. Anywho, I took a small break (unplanned motherhood came knocking at my door), but after my little one grew a little older, a few dead-end jobs and my last profession as a paralegal, I had had enough of working for someone else. I longed for freedom again and to follow my passion. You know that saying, “your heart is where your mind wanders?” That’s how I felt. I missed the magic of the flea market, the road trip getting there, creating art, and the art of display of course. One thing led to another and I found myself swept back up in it all. After years of traveling, I eventually opened up a brick and mortar in San Angelo, Texas and started to sell other handcrafted goods along with my own art. Among those handcrafted goods, was Sookie Sookie herself. Sookie Sookie was already a well known brand in the western boutique industry. She had been featured in Cowboys and Indians Magazine and had been carried in stores all over the United States. Unfortunately, the owner was going through some personal issues and needed to sell the company. The thing about Sookie Sookie, is that she requires an artist to run her. I happened to be checking in on my order one day and the owner told me she was actually needing to sell, but that it needed to be ran by someone with an artistic background. It was like the stars aligned and I had a chance to take my art to the next level and challenge myself in ways I hadn’t before. So I merged to the two businesses together, revamped the line to fit my image, and decided to run things under the Sookie Sookie name. After all, Sookie Sookie is the title of a late 60s Steppenwolf song….so my vibe! The rest is history. I took her under my wing, gave her new life and a vintage, grungy, hippie mojo."
This is such an incredible story on how Meagan became Sookie and I have been inspired by her story! Inspiration comes in many forms to us artists and makers. Meagan finds her inspiration through "feel good moments". She said "Our life experiences effect our perception and imagination." So no matter how old or recent the moment is it makes you feel good. "These feel good moments could include, playing as a child, watching vintage movies, traveling and visiting old historical downtown's or flea markets. I like to romanticize the life of a traveling artist and that is super inspiring as well. My parents went through a rough divorce when I was a kid and I spent a lot of time alone. I would create fun and dreamlike worlds in my imagination as a way to escape. When I display or create, I find that I go back there. I try to create atmospheres that feel like you’re getting lost in an alternative world."
Sookie Sookie now has a permanent location in Carthage, Texas. She still plans on traveling to shows but has put a small pause on it to give her studio the time it needs. She plans on opening to the public in October of 2022. She plans to continue carrying her handmade jewelry, eclectic goods, and the fun up-cycled junk. "A dreamers paradise"
Now, on to the fun questions! Megan is a foodie! She says, "I really think I could've been a food critic in another life haha!" She loves raw mushrooms, pickled beats, sashimi, salt & vinegar chips, seaweed salads, and everything else no one seems to like.
Just for fun. What era would you like to travel to and why? "I have two eras that I’d love to time travel to! One being the 60’s of course and the other being the Victorian era. The 60’s aligns with the dreamlike vibe I love so much. Maybe it’s the psychedelic art and music from that time? And the colors!! The colors from the time frame just suck me in. Now the Victorian era gets me with the gold curly fixtures, the
gowns, the horse and carriages…just the gawdy, old timey feel. Is that weird? Lol."
One of the things she and her family like to do for fun is take road trips. She says "It
doesn’t happen as often as I’d like it to, but we have so much fun when we road trip! For us, it’s the gas station junk food stops, the hotel stays, the taking turns jamming in the car to each of our favorite songs, the sight seeing, live music, family, and if there’s a body of water the kids can play in…that’s a 10/10 experience right there!" The out of the blue road trips are always the most fun that we have as a family too! We just load up and go. Like Meagan said, it doesn't happen as much as we'd like but it's always a blast when we can make that happen.
The one place that she recommends for a family trip is to any Yogi Bear Campgrounds. They have water slides, pool area, grilling, roasting marshmallows. Then of course having yourself a few cold beers by the campfire. Psssh beers I'M ALL IN" Lol.
Meagan leave us with this advice. "If you have the nagging feeling that you are meant for more…please listen to yourself! You are! Follow it endlessly…even if it’s just a hobby at first. When the time is right (God’s time), it will turn into something
more. God gives us all a gift. I believe its to be used and is the key to our happiness. Also, fail. Fail a lot! When you fail, you learn. When you learn you grow."
We are so glad you are here with us on this journey and we wish you and your business nothing but the best!
If you want to see Meagan's work you can find her on Instagram and Facebook @shop_sookie_sookie