Personal with Pachulah

beauty & wellness

Before becoming familiar with Pachulah, I never understood the impact that a delicate piece of jewelry could have. My first encounter with a Pachulah necklace was a few years ago in the chair of a friend doing my makeup at Sephora, and I remember being mesmerized by the gold chained choker that complimented her so well. At this time, I was fed up with constantly spending on seemingly cheap two-use pieces of jewelry that cost more in the long run because they tarnished or immediately broke. “Where is your necklace from?” I asked. “This little store called Pachulah. You know, they’re a little bit pricier but the quality is so good, the pieces are so beautiful, and I think of it as a nice present to myself. I just love it,” she replied. Not long after this positive word-of-mouth review, I knew I needed to pay a visit to the little local boutique. The store is indeed tiny, but exerts a big impression packed with exquisite pieces displayed tastefully in the space. Nestled in the heart of Uptown’s outdoor shopping centre since 2016, Pachulah is an experience all in its own; an ambiance where beautiful-boho meets goddess-glam. Throughout the store, a large selection of precious stones assembled to gold, rose gold and silver necklaces radiate everywhere. Pachulah also specializes in stunning body chains, bracelets, anklets, rings and earrings. The price points include something for everyone’s budget, and the brand never compromises on quality making these pieces durable, long-lasting and well worth the investment. The jewelry also makes an incredible gift to anyone lucky enough to receive it, and the more layers the better… hint hint guys!

My first Pachulah purchase was the Love Tag, an everyday subtle necklace that I wore all the time until I got the craving to switch up the look. Next was the Tia Choker as it is subtly sexy and the diamond is my birth stone. Recently I was lucky enough to collaborate with Pachulah and be layered in stunning pieces for the photos throughout this post. The experience could honestly be compared to getting my hair done for the first time, and made me feel more beautiful than I could have imagined. Following the shoot, I knew a few more statement delicates were needed to fulfill my new obsession. My necklace collection is now complete with The Leo and The Firenze which represent new beginnings as a mom and my Christian faith.

Perhaps the best part about Pachulah, though, is the designer herself Mandy Welch. A fun-loving sweetheart with a fiery entrepreneurial spirit, Mandy is a force to be reckoned with. Her contemporary style and creativity is evident in the collection that has cascaded an international reach with worldwide shipping. We sat down in her beautiful home to talk intimately about the brand and what it takes to thrive as a local designer.

How did you get started in making jewelry?

It actually all began when we lived in the small town of Air Ronge, SK. I was working part time from home and I’m a bit of a wuss with cold weather, especially anything colder then -20. So I spent a lot of time indoors and I was never bored. I started playing with my old costume jewelry and realized I really liked working with my hands. I would take it apart and make it into whatever designs my heart desired. I was delighted when I realized I was passionate about it. I had never been passionate about anything in my life before, so I was like “FINALLY! I’ve found my thing!” This was in 2015 when Instagram was really catching on and you would see girls starting to tag brands. I was like “I want to be a brand!”. So, with the help of my husband, that’s what I set out to do.

Why the name Pachulah?

I truly wish I had a better story for this. The name Pachulah came to me, even before I began making jewelry. Pachulah was going to be something, I just didn’t know what yet. But now I think it’s kind of fun, as Pachulah is something that I made out of nothing, just like the name. On a recent trip to Mexico however we were chatting with a local and told him about Pachulah. He commented on what a perfect name for jewelry, and when we asked why, he told us that it translates to “A gift for you, beauty”. Pretty serendipitous!!

What inspires your creative process?

While inspiration can come in many forms, I find my best pieces come when I’m just working at my bench, playing around with ideas. Literally, designing is my “play time”. Sometimes I will be inspired by an idea that comes to me when I’m almost asleep, and I immediately have to get up and write it down or else I’ll forget. The best part of designing, is that yes I must design for my clientele, but ultimately, I only make what I would also love to wear. Sometimes that’s all it takes, I step back and think “what would I need with this dress” and I go from there. I’m very influenced by Instagram girls, but sometimes what you can’t see in a photo, is quality. There’s definitely a fine line between trendy and timeless. I tend to lean towards timeless with my pieces, and I think my customers appreciate that.

What do you love most about being a local designer?

The best part about “local” would be the community and the amazing people you get to meet. I’ve made some pretty amazing friends and connections, just through my store. My absolute favourite is when two customers meet through their common love for Pachulah and they become BFFs. It’s really important to me to be able to spend quality time with my customers, and really anyone who takes the time to come into the shop. You get to be with them one-on-one, seeing what they like, how they’d style their pieces. It’s invigorating for me, and I think really valuable for the long term growth. Understanding what your clientele wants is crucial to success. We’re really fortunate as Victoria is such a supportive community of every local business. It’s the best!

What is your best advice for jewelry TLC?

In an ideal world, I would have my customers clean their jewelry after each wear. I mean, you don’t wear the same shirt more than once before you wash it right? The same should go for your jewelry but even more so as they can take a beating day to day with our natural oils, our perfumes, lotions, and sweat. But truthfully, I’m not one to talk as I’m super lazy with my jewelry and often won’t take it off for days at a time. That being said, a good thorough cleaning every week or two should do the trick! We’ll be introducing polishing cloths for sale soon, but in the meantime you can use the same cloth you would clean sunglasses with.

What advice do you have for up and coming entrepreneurs?

Number one, you have to have passion for what you’re doing. You have to love it too, because you’re going to be doing it everyday. Be prepared to say no to a lot of things, like going for dinners and hanging with friends because you have to work. Know that when you’re not working, there’s going be another entrepreneur working while you’re out playing. That being said, I’m working on work-life balance consistently. I think you have to be prepared to take a risk and just believe in yourself and be patient, but also consistent. You have to just put yourself out there. No one knows what you’re capable of until you show them.

What’s next for Pachulah?

Some really exciting new things are happening for us in the very near future! But I wouldn’t want to jinx anything so you’ll have to stay tuned!

GIVEAWAY!!!!!

As a thank-you for following along on the blog, we’re doing a giveaway over on my Instagram and one lucky reader will be gifted a stunning Leo necklace in your choice of gold, rose gold, and silver.

Love,

Momma Mills.