Seek & Swoon: Travel-inspired Knit Cotton Throw Blankets

PDX Small Business Network

This week’s guest is hard to introduce—but only because she’s got her hands in so many different pies! Jala Smith-Huys sat down with me to talk about her various business ventures. She calls herself a “serial idea generator,” so needless to say, she’s got a lot going on! Travel-inspired Knit Cotton Throw Blankets in Portland By day, she runs a social media consultancy company called Embark Creative, and by night, she runs Seek and Swoon, where she designs and sells throw blankets based upon all the places that she’s traveled—and before all that, she was the eighth employee hired to work for New Seasons, where she did much of the company’s graphic design. Needless to say, Jala is just as creative as you think she is! IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: New Seasons—how Jala got her start with the company, what she did, and what her experience was like over those nine years. She recounts opening two (that’s right: TWO!) stores during the fall and winter one year. Embark Creative and how that all came about. Jala left her comfortable job at New Seasons in the middle of a recession because she knew it was time—and she found great success after word got out that she was doing social media. Jala’s perfect client. She wants to work with people (or companies) who have a story to tell, aren’t afraid to try new things, and understand that social media isn’t a full-on problem solver and that solutions don’t happen overnight. Seek and Swoon—Jala’s newest company and creative endeavor. She tells the story of how she and her family traveled Europe for two full months in 2015 and how that, along with a little throw blanket in her home, inspired her to create these pieces inspired by the places she’s been. LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Seek and Swoon Jala Smith-Huys Embark Creative Jala on Soundcloud Jala on Angle.co Instagram Facebook Twitter This is just a small snippet of all the things Jala and I talked about. She has so many great stories to share, considering she’s been a part of many business ventures so far. Oh, but one last thing I did ask her: her favorite place in Portland is either Jade Bistro & Patisserie, a Thai restaurant, or Relish Gastropub, both in Sellwood.