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FRESNO, Calif. (BTBR) – Stephanie Tello, better known as pixiejwlry, sells hand made jewelry at the Bad Girl’s Market.

She not only shares a birthday with me, she shares a love for the market and was gracious enough to share her artistic journey with me in a one-on-one interview.

Here’s the story of the artistic and young fellow Pisces I had the pleasure of sitting down with on this edition of Meet the Vendor.

Stephanie says her artistic journey, like many, started in childhood. Stephanie always felt she had a creative itch. She had a chance to scratch that itch for the first time in middle school after school programs.

“I got into painting and like, I just tried it out.” Stephanie said. “I felt the vibe. I didn’t really like it. So I switched arts and crafts, ended with scrapbooking, [making] bracelets, like keychains and a little, like, shrinky-dinks. They’re like plastics that you can shrink with heat.”

Stephanie says as she moved on to high school, she felt she was just “kinda there.” She says she didn’t necessarily have any hobbies or interests in school that called to her. But, Stephanie still ended up experiencing the vendor lifestyle for the first time, thanks to her family.

“[My sister] was really into painting. She would do these portraits, these canvases and growing up, my parents got into dog shows because we have American bullies,” Stephanie said. “So they would go show off these dogs and then they told my sister to do her paint stand and she needed help. So I would sometimes like, try to help her.”

Though Stephanie says she didn’t feel she was the best helper, she also says she had fun vending with her sister and got comfortable with the vendor lifestyle then.

Still, Stephanie says she hadn’t found the right creative outlet to let her creativity roam free. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that inspiration came, from TikTok.

“I saw videos of people making jewelry, and I wanted to try that,” Stephanie said.

Before too long, Stephanie says she started making earring hooks and charms consistently and soon, one of her friends started making jewelry too and they started their own business.

“We opened up our our store, I guess you can say, on Instagram, and it started off as S.J. Accessories,” Stephanie said. “My first, I guess customers were close friends of mine and they shout at us out, and it just kind of got bigger than I thought it would have gotten and [my friend] got busy, so I just stayed in it by myself.”

Soon, pixiejwlry was born. Stephanie says she started working on her craft more and started make different, more advanced typesof jewelry and working with new materials as she expanded her small business.

“I made my own business cards. I looked for artists to do my logo. I looked for materials that I needed. I saved up to buy a label printer like, I did everything that I could to get to where I am now,” Stephanie said.

But progress came with obstacles, and Stephanie says when she started vending at ArtHop, she faced sexism and discrimination despite working hard and setting up early.

“I would go put my table, claim my spot and the guys knew that I had put my table there,” Stephanie said. “Sometimes – when I would leave and come back, my table would be gone and they’d move it to a completely different area.”

Stephanie says it was an uphill battle until she found Bad Girls Market Founders, Liz Hernandez and Sofia Sanchez, who were still at the Mammoth Mall in Downtown Fresno at the time.

“I started when they were the, the girlfriends market in the corner of Bad Kids Club,” Stephanie said. “Seeing where they’re at now, like it’s crazy. Like, the support is crazy. And I’m so proud of them.”

Stephanie says with the Bad Girls Market, not only has she never had to deal with someone stealing her spot, she has found a place where she can honestly say her fellow vendors ad her customers are good friends.

“Sounds corny, but it feels like home,” Stephanie said. “I’ve made a lot of friends on there – and they look forward to seeing me every market, just like I look forward to seeing them every market.”

For over six years, Stephanie has dedicated herself to working on her craft through obstacles, bouts of depression and more. She tells me her friends and time away often get her through it. She also says anyone who is discovering their outlet and fighting their own fight just needs to remember one thing.

“Don’t give up. Keep doing what you’re doing. If you mess up. It’s okay. Like, everyone makes mistakes,” Stephanie said. “You’ll have these bumps in the road, but eventually, like it’ll all clear and you’ll be fine. Like, just keep going. Believe in yourself.”