Casa Kira Handcrafted Jewelry

Unique, High Quality, Handcrafted Jewelry

I was featured in Voyage Phoenix Magazine!!

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Meet Kira Geddes of Casa Kira Handcrafted Jewelry in Tucson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kira Geddes.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kira. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.I’m a hometown girl, born and raised in Tucson. I grew up with an artist father in a family and city that embraces the arts. I was always creating – be it pottery, music, jewelry or various other mediums. I worked as a music teacher, preschool teacher, Birth and Postpartum Doula. I eventually had two boys and became very motivated to earn a living designing and creating jewelry. Like many of us, I started working from home, as in a desk pushed up against a wall in the living room. My jewelry got picked up by the old Sage store at Old Town Artisans and the Gift Shop at The Tucson Museum of Art, and I began pursuing new leads. I was raising two sons and occasionally would drive around until the youngest fell asleep in the car. Then I would park in the driveway and continue to work with trays of beads next to me, and the baby asleep in the car seat. I eventually got picked up by more and more stores throughout Arizona and the Southwestern United States.

Ten years passed and the business continued to grow, all while working from home and dreaming of one day having a whole workroom of my own. My opportunity came when I rented a converted barn at Rancho Pequeño, near the Rillito River. It was a studio, all for Casa Kira! I was so grateful for every day walking into that studio, that I felt compelled to share the space with other artists in the community. So I began hosting monthly Open Studios with guest artists, and often incorporated fundraisers and donation drives for local nonprofits. I’ve continued this tradition of giving back to my local art community for the past five years, even in the “new” Casa Kira location in midtown Tucson.

People ask me why I’ve spent so much of my own time and resources supporting other Tucson artists and organizations. I want to talk about paying it forward and doing unto others… but mostly, It just brings me joy to do so.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?My business was just getting its start in 2004 as our economy was crashing. I had to execute several pivots in the Casa Kira business. Instead of taking a purist approach to my art, I stayed flexible. I transitioned my jewelry design and making process. Instead of hand chaining with sterling silver, I started to embrace copper and brass. And I’m so glad that I did, because they bring so much warmth to the pieces and really reflect the color and texture of the Sonoran Desert.

I realized that people were struggling with their finances, but still wanted to purchase unique, beautiful and locally made jewelry to adorn themselves and gift others. So I worked hard to keep my prices affordable. By repping myself and working with other locally owned businesses, I was able to keep overhead low and pass the savings along to my customers. Since I started the business when both of my kids were little, I had to be very flexible with my schedule, working late, and whenever I could. I’ve never taken out a loan, but have constantly reinvested in the business, so it’s been a long slow upward growth that has evolved along with me and my family.

I think the biggest challenge is to be an artist who also runs her own business. Ask any artist how they would rather spend their time, and they will tell you that they would like to lock themselves in their studios for days and days uninterrupted, being creative and creating art. So many of us are challenged to step out of the studio and put on the business person hat. It’s the last thing that we “want” to do. I joined SCORE and meet with a mentor occasionally and also take advantage of their business classes. I’m trying to overcome my lack of enthusiasm for those right-brained tasks such as marketing, bookkeeping, etc.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Casa Kira Handcrafted Jewelry – what should we know?Casa Kira jewelry is made with fair trade and ethically sourced materials from around the world. Every Casa Kira design is a limited edition or original work. The business places a strong emphasis on “Localness” and Supporting the Local Arizona economy. Casa Kira is a proud member of Local First Arizona.

We all know it’s great to shop local, and when those stores carry locally handcrafted products, it’s even better. I hear from gift shops and boutique buyers that they want to carry local products and customers ask for them, they are just not sure how to proceed. I run my business in a different way than the traditional rep and catalog model. It is important to me that local shops carry locally handcrafted jewelry. I work hard to connect with local buyers and many have begun to discover the benefits of dealing with a local artist. Being right here in Tucson makes me very accessible. Sometimes a shop employee will call and put me on the phone with their customer to inquire about a product. Getting to talk directly with the artist is a very satisfying experience. Additionally, if something is a slow seller in one location, items can be easily changed out for newer designs. Stores are never stuck with inventory that doesn’t sell.

With local delivery, there is less freight cost for shops to factor into pricing. There is no Casa Kira catalog, because the product lines are ever changing with no two items exactly alike. When I meet with buyers, some like to handpick each piece, while others prefer that I choose selections for them. I have built relationships with each of my store buyers, and know the character and feel of their locations and customers so I can provide them with assortments that are unique to their stores.

Casa Kira is now celebrating 15 years in business. One of the first shops that carried my jewelry was the Tucson Museum of Art Museum Store, which still carries it. It was really exciting and fun for me, because I grew up a few blocks away from the museum, in the El Presidio neighborhood. When I was little, friends and I would roller-skate right where the lobby is now.

The Casa Kira studio is located in Tucson and opens by appointment. Join the e-mailing list to receive invitations to open houses and special events.

Follow on Instagram: @casakiratucson and Casa Kira Facebook page to view the newest designs. Purchase Casa Kira jewelry on Etsy and in shops and boutiques throughout Arizona and The Southwest. Click “where to buy” on CasaKira.com for a list of shops. Join the e-mailing list to receive invitations to Open Houses and special events. Some of the stores in Arizona that carry Casa Kira Handcrafted Jewelry are; The Tucson Museum of Art, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, Tucson Botanical Gardens, The Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, Antigone bookstore, Art House Centro, The Hilton El Conquistador, Sibley’s in Chandler and Arizona, and Changing Hands Book Store.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?Perseverance. And unique HIGH-QUALITY products.

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