Turning a passion into a business
Korai Goods, a hand-crafted ceramics store based in rural Virginia, has taken on many forms over the past 12 years. Initially beginning as a jewelry business, Korai Goods found its true passion in ceramics, officially transforming into a ceramics store in 2020.
After graduating from art school with a degree in drawing, Corrie Ruffin initially got a job as a Preschool Arts teacher and then as a Sales Director at an assisted living home.
While the jobs paid well and offered many benefits, Corrie felt drained from this type of work and wanted to pursue her passion as a creative and be her own boss.
She first sold jewelry in Atlanta at local shows every weekend, while also selling her products online. She found a community there with other creatives pushing each other to do more in their hopes of building their businesses.
During this time, Corrie worked multiple jobs 7 days a week in order to support her new business.
Balancing business and family
In 2020, Corrie moved to Virginia with her now-current husband, and Korai Goods became her full-time job.
A friend allowed her to use her professional pottery wheel and kiln, sparking her to create unique pieces including mugs, dishware, ornaments, and more.
She was selling these items through her website and Faire in wholesale quantities. What initially started as 1 to 2 stores carrying her pieces, has now grown to more than 60 stores that sell her products.
Corrie’s husband is a traveling musician for the group Improvement Movement, and post the pandemic has had difficulty booking concerts. This left Corrie and Korai Goods as the primary source of income for them.
In early 2024, Corrie and her husband welcomed their first child into the world after many years of trying and medical appointments.
Balancing work on top of a newborn meant long hours and minimal days off, and her eight-week maternity leave turned into three.
Since then, Corrie has been navigating motherhood while also working to grow her business further.
Winning the Credibly Small Business Award
Corrie has a clear plan for how she will be using her award:
- Hiring an agency to support her business’s marketing needs and better track her ROI
- Bulk purchasing of materials
- Covering shipping costs of her items
- Taking valuable time off for the holidays with her family
Corrie hand makes every item sold out of her store, which leaves little time to focus on how to better market her business.
By hiring an agency or employee to take on that role, she can focus more on the creation of her products while others can assist in getting them seen and sold.
As her business has grown, it’s not only straining her time, but also the cost of materials.
Simply put, buying in bulk is far cheaper than buying smaller quantities of materials needed in order to fulfill the hundreds of orders Korai Goods receives.
With the award, she now has the upfront capital to purchase 500lbs of clay, instead of 50lbs at a time, to be ready for when the large orders come in. To top that off, with increased sales comes increased shipping costs of all these goods that ship across the US.
The thing Corrie is most excited about was the ability to spend more time with her newborn and husband. The award has given her enough of a cushion in her budget so she can take days off without worrying about severely impacting her business’s cash flow.
If you’re interested in shopping at Korai Goods, you can visit them at www.KoraiGoods.com! Follow them on their social channels as well to see all of the new products she comes out with, each with its own sense of flair and elegance.
