Discover: Likewoah Handmade
“Fiber Art is really where I found my creative flow”
Tell us about yourself! What’s your background and what do you do?
Hi I'm Samantha, but I really go by Sam. I am the sole owner and maker of Likewoah Handmade, a Fiber Art business based out of of Denver. I make crocheted and macrame goods, sell finished products at markets, on my website, and in about 150 stores across the country. I also teach macrame workshops all over the country, and am continuing to grow and evolve my business. I've run my business on and off since high school but have been running as a full time for almost two years now. Prior to Likewoah Handmade being my full time hustle, I spent years working in the specialty coffee industry, starting as a barista, building out education programs, doing sales, and my last job in the industry was the Director of Wholesale for a coffee roaster. It was a fun and wild ride, but these days I just enjoy coffee and am much happier running my own business. I often get asked if I went to school for art, and “kind of” is my answer. I have a degree in Film and Media Arts with a focus in photography, but always felt like a bit of a fraud as my drawing and painting skills are pretty awful. Fiber Art is really where I found my creative flow, it just took me some time to figure that out.
“I spend a lot of time traveling and outside in nature. I think I find a lot of inspiration from the places I have been, the colors, the landscape, the feeling you get when your traveling in a new place exploring somewhere.”
How did you learn your craft? Tell us about your first finished product.
I taught myself how to crochet when I was 14 in a van with a bunch of friends on a way to a snowboard contest. I quickly got hooked and started the first version of Likewoah Handmade called Likewoah Headwear back in 2004. My logo was a pretty rad dinosaur roaring the words “Likewoah,” and at the time I only made crochet beanies as well as had a small run of some printed shirts with my logo. Looking back on it my beanies were nothing special, just very bright and colorful, but thats where it all began. I would pick up crochet over the years on and off again before I really turned Likewoah Handmade into a side hustle in 2015 and full time job in 2018. Macrame snuck its way into my product lineup during 2018 when I realized I wanted to sell more than just winter goods.
Where does the name of your business come from?
Fourteen year old me came up with it with some friends, and here we are 15 years later. At one point I thought when I rebranded my logo I might change the name, but I really just love Likewoah and am glad its been a part of my life for so long.
How long does it take to make your product and what’s involved in the process?
It really depends what I am making, something like a crochet beanie is pretty quick probably 45 minutes all said and done, but that's because I've been crocheting for fifteen years. A macrame plant hanger, something around twenty minutes or so. My larger scale wall hangings are a totally different situation, I tend to work on them for multiple hours over multiple days.
Where does your inspiration come from?
I spend a lot of time traveling and outside in nature. I think I find a lot of inspiration from the places I have been, the colors, the landscape, the feeling you get when your traveling in a new place exploring somewhere. I keep my product lineup filled with things I myself love, and try to avoid making things because they are "trendy" and all over my Instagram feed. I want my products to stand out on their own and be something truly unique and original.
“I've been working on a series of Macraweave Wall Hangings all named after Death Cab for Cutie songs, this may be one of my favorites from it.”
What’s your favorite product that you’ve created?
I've been working on a series of Macraweave Wall Hangings all named after Death Cab for Cutie songs, this may be one of my favorites from it.
What question do you get asked the most at pop-up markets?
"Do you make your products?" While I sit there crocheting, ha!
What’s something unique about you that most people don’t know (or wouldn’t guess)?
I was an amateur snowboarder with a thinking I would go professional after high school. A few pretty bad injuries later, and now I just snowboard for fun, and actually ski about half the time. Because of that I kind of went to high school, but not really. I took almost all my classes online and spent my junior year living without my family in Whistler, Canada to snowboard. I took me a while to realize not a normal childhood or high school years.
What’s your favorite beverage to sip on?
Kombucha!
What’s up next for Likewoah Handmade?
During this wild ride of the last few weeks I launched live virtual macrame workshops. This was not something I ever thought I would do, but its been a blast. I've been working on macrame kits, things such as make your own macrame plant hanger. I'm super excited they are finally in the works and can't wait to launch them. 2020 I am working on focusing more effort to larger scale wall hangings, and always looking for custom work!
What’s your favorite band?
If anyone follows me on social media already they will know this one, loved Death Cab for Cutie since high school and still love them more than any other band. I think at this point I've seen them live around thirteen times over the years.
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currently, $1.90 from each order is donated to Feeding America, and As usual, 5% of all sales are donated to Planned Parenthood.
