It was the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic and Anna Tsirambidis was bored. After all, how many Zoom classes and FaceTime calls can someone do?
“I needed to put my iPhone down and spend less time in front of my computer screen,” Tsirambidis explained, when a great idea dawned on her to not only use her hands and creativity, but also to do good.
After consulting with her parents, Anna decided to open a shop on Etsy and create her own line of jewelry that she makes herself, using her own hands and supplies from the local craft shop in Cleveland, Ohio.
She also wanted to connect her shop to something charitable so she decided to share a portion of her proceeds from sales with an organization that is near and dear to her family’s heart, the Greek America Foundation.
“We love the work of the Greek America Foundation, particularly their support of so many children’s charities in Greece, so after talking with my parents, I decided that 20 per cent of my sales would go to them,” Anna explained.
“I’m grateful that I’m healthy and capable to do this, so I wanted to share that gratitude and show that anyone— even a thirteen-year-old— can do good and spread kindness, even during a pandemic.”
With a couple of clicks on the computer and the registration of her shop, the Cleveland teen was officially in business and much to her surprise— orders started coming in.
“At first, it was orders for family and friends who had heard about my effort and wanted to support, but eventually, strangers started ordering from faraway places like Indiana and Maine. It was exciting,” Anna explains.
Her best-seller?
“The mati ring, of course,” Anna says. “Everyone loves the design of the ring and I love making them.”
And customers love this item too. On the shop’s listing, there are several favorable reviews from people who bought this ring.
In addition to the Mati ring, Anna has other products, including earrings. And she’s planning to expand the store with more handmade items. She’s currently exploring knitting, a tradition passed to her from her grandmother, who learned the craft from her own Pontian Greek mother.
“These traditions are very important to us and this is a way to carry them on while also doing a lot of good,” Anna says. “It’s a win, win, win.”
Visit Anna Tsirambidis’ shop on Etsy here.
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