In three years, Chrissy Harrison’s jewelry business, Elsie Frieda, has outgrown the guest bedroom of her Near West End home, moving to a studio and production space at 3600 Douglasdale Road near City Stadium. Designing chokers and earrings using African vinyl beads, Harrison left her IT consulting sales job to pursue her passion for fashion in late 2018.
A wife and mother of two boys, she had just gotten her youngest started in kindergarten when she revisited her past hobby of jewelry making. She knew color was going to be integral to her designs due to its natural ability to make people feel happy. Sourcing her bead supply from a market in Ghana via two female bead brokers, she launched with about 12 designs, selling at in-home jewelry parties and at Roan, the women’s clothing store in Carytown. In February 2019, a costume designer for the Netflix teen drama “Outer Banks” saw a social media post and bought multiple color variations of Harrison’s “Louise Choker” for the show. A year later, Harrison had all but forgotten about the exciting encounter as she continued to grow the business, overhauling the website and selling her products at boutiques across the country. Then the pandemic hit, and everything came to a stop. Like many small businesses, she had to contend with shipping and supply issues. Then in April 2020, Harrison received a game-changing email from Netflix letting her know that the show with her necklaces was about to air. “Our world just changed overnight,” Harrison says.
Chrissy Harrison, owner of Elsie Frieda
Harrison says she has recently added a line of fedoras and may expand to offer handbags. “We want to become a household brand,” she says.
After the series premiered, Harrison says orders went from about 30 per day to 100-plus. Navigating this wave of business was made possible thanks to her core team of female employees who help with everything from making the jewelry to shipping it. Three of her best friends have been with the business since its early days: Laura Connor, Kim King and Katherine Natalie. Harrison says their support, combined with advice and help from other female jewelry makers, has been invaluable.
Elsie Frieda now offers a line of fedoras and Harrison says they may expand into other products in the future. “We want to become a household brand,” she says.
Harrison has had many strong female role models in her life, including her grandmother, for whom she named the business. Frieda was one of the first women to graduate from Temple University in Philadelphia.
Harrison modeled the company’s mission after Frieda’s disposition. “We are kind first, work hard second, and then we know we’ll be successful,” she says. Being kind and giving back are core tenets of Harrison’s philosophy, and she’s helped raise funds for causes such as breast cancer awareness and hunger relief.
Elsie Frieda jewelry has caught the eye of celebrities such as Katy Perry, Lindsey Vonn and Lizzo. But if you’re looking to mimic a celeb’s pick, you’ll have to snag it quick, because color pigments can vary by batch. If Harrison isn’t able to source the right shade of bead, she drops the product.
Harrison says she never would have guessed she’d be in this position with her business after making that career change in 2018. “It’s been a really fun ride,” she adds. “I can’t wait to see what the future brings for us.”
