When Jen Anderson’s daughter Madeleine decided she wanted to start a business to help pay for college down the road, the only question was: What kind of business to start? The lightbulb went on after realizing that Madeleine’s love of music had led to a collection of instruments—and some not-so-exciting guitar bags. From there, they developed prototypes for a fun and functional set of bags that are customizable with vibrant Spoonflower designs, and Gigy™ was launched! Get to know our latest featured makers below.
My day starts with: “My online work. Since that is my least favorite part of the business, it is nice to get it done right away. Whether it’s catching up on the finances, writing a blog post, or ordering materials, it is done with a big cup of coffee. Then I drive the kids to school before heading into the studio.”
I fell in love with making things when: “I was little and would make things such as curtains and quilts for my doll house. The love grew when we launched our first business, Once Upon a Time Creation, when my kids were younger. We convert sentimental clothing into beautiful keepsakes and it is still going strong. Through that business, I learned to work with so many different types of textiles and gained confidence in my sewing and design abilities.”
When I’m in my studio: “I feel inspired and content, like this is the place I am supposed to be. I love designing new instrument cases and improving the current designs to better serve our clients.”
Who or what influences or inspires your work and why? “There are so many, but the main one is my family. Working for myself has given me the opportunity to set my own schedule to fit our needs. My daughter inspired Gigy™ because of her love of music and growing instrument collection. When she wanted to start a business together to save for college, we brainstormed a bunch of ideas until we came up with Gigy™.”
My favorite Spoonflower designers include: “scrummy, littlesmilemakers, pennycandy, and cest_la_viv. Not only are they talented designers, but are wonderful to work with because they are so responsive and fun to connect with and support on Instagram.”
I’m most proud of my projects that: “Help make people’s lives better. We designed the Gigy™ gig bags to be multi-functional in an effort to help musicians of all ages protect their instruments in style while keeping their music and accessories organized.”
My go-to outfit is “A comfy skirt and boots. It’s perfect for meeting clients and working in the studio.”
Before starting a small business, I wish someone had told me: “How hard it is to get noticed at first. It takes a lot of persistence and tweaking to match your products with those that could benefit from them.”
My favorite Spoonflower textile to work with is: “Eco Canvas because it is durable, shows color beautifully, and is a dream to work with.”
They say that it’s never too late to learn a new musical instrument—or dress one up with a customized bag! From ukulele and guitar cases to drum stick cases, these fresh bags allow your budding musician to own their style or change their look as often as they change their favorite song. You can switch out a Spoonflower-designed “Pote” (or pocket tote) at any time for those about to rock Led Zeppelin or Mozart.
Such an inspiring story!!! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these two amazing ladies! 🙂
Wonderful products! How about violin, viola, flute, trumpet bags? A rolling bag to carry your band uniform in? Very inspiring story!
Oh so brilliant! Very inspiring and wow these bags are just AWESOME! WTG Gigy! ♥
Loooooove these Gigy gals! Thank you so much for featuring their business. I am always so proud to see potes made from my prints. Jen and Madeleine: you rock!