Person of the Week: Darby Shook

She responds to the ping sound that resonates from her phone and knows to start  getting work for her next customer.

“I cut everything out, print it, whatever the product is,” Senior Darby Shook said. “I just hand make it per order, I’ll usually spend a week designing it and figuring out the cheapest way to make it. But still have it be good quality, and I run it past my parents, [calculate the] price and [upload] it online and see how it goes.”    

Shook runs her own business on the website Etsy called Departed Office.

“I sell Harry Potter scarves and Pokemon hats,” Shook said. “I do custom mugs people will send me pictures, and I’ll put that on has mugs, t-shirts, whatever they want. I’ve had people send me pictures of characters or a who want a t-shirt a character wears. [A customer] sent me a map design [to put on a dress] it was super intricate and beautiful, but a lot of it is [customers sending] me designs and ask can you put this in x,y,z clothing.”  

Shook started her business last summer when she needed a job, and working in fast food or retail did not interest her. So this allowed her the freedom to do what she wanted in terms of earning an income.

“I’m a high school-er on a budget,” Shook said. “I want to be able to express myself, so I have to make [my items] good quality for [other] people on a budget.”

Shook used her resources and overcame the difficulties of getting her business started.

“My parents were in the sign business and I already had the technology,” Shook said. “So I just branched off of that but the hard part was I wasn’t 18 yet. So everything is still going through my parents and getting everything together. I have specific printers for certain things I have this huge heat press [for] just getting everything together, and [setting] up to launch it was a huge struggle but now its good.”

Inspired by wanting an item that didn’t exist, Shook took it into her own hands to create it. Giving herself the power to be able to profit from other people wanting what she made.

“Whenever I First started I started with a gravity falls journal,” Shook said. “I wanted it but I couldn’t find it anywhere so I just made it for myself and people wanted it [too].”

Following trends and keeping up with fandoms allows Shook to keep her business going with customers all year round.

“This summer it was Pokemon Go,” Shook said. “Anything Pokemon, it was just out the door I had to buy 500 hats at a time every week it was insane. Right now I’m getting into Luke Cage so Marvel movies  picking up and also harry potter.”

Business is never really steady for Shook when dealing with new things that pop up for her to create.

“It fluctuates,” Shook said. “So right now is October and I’m getting Halloween people who are searching for cosplay items for their costume. I’ve just finished my first year and I’ve had over 1,000 orders.”

Finding ways to deal with even the worst of times that appear for most business owners.

“Convention season is crazy,” Shook said. “I’ll sell tons of shirts, usually every month something picks up, the week beforehand I will pre make things. That way throughout the week if I’m busy my parents will just grab the thing, package it and it’s out the door and I don’t have to worry about it.”   

Shook also encourages others to go after what they want if wishing to pursue a business like hers.

“Start small, make the best product that you can,” Shook said. “The cheapest way that you can do it so you can get the most out of it. Ask people around you if they’re interested in it, [and] if people want it go h.a.m. and pre-make things but be ready.”