Florida State University’s Market Wednesday has been a beloved tradition for over four decades and counting. Students can look forward to learning about various student organizations and purchasing unique clothes and gifts every week. It’s a congregation of excitement, both in passing and on purpose.
For FSU senior Grace Brodeen, however, Market Wednesday is much more than a shopping and browsing ritual: it’s an avenue of self-expression, an opportunity to create and connect. In the spring of 2023, Brodeen founded Made by Grace, her self-run statement jewelry business. She has been involved with Market Wednesday ever since, and her plans as an artist and businesswoman are only getting bolder.
“I started making jewelry in high school as a fun hobby for myself. And that’s kind of how I went into selling… [I was] trying to monetize off of a passion that I was already just doing for myself and for my friends, and I love making gifts for people… so it really did stem from just a love of doing it.”
As we delved into where her bejeweled fascination and raw talent stem from and critical inspirations for her brand, Brodeen took me back to her high school years, a crucial era of self-exploration for many.
“I went to a performance arts middle and high school in Jacksonville… I was majoring in creative writing with a focus on poetry. So, I was very involved in [the] Spoken Word Club. I was involved in the literary magazine [where] I was actually the marketing editor-in-chief, so I was in charge of merchandising and advertising. So, I had a bit of a background as far as marketing goes,” Brodeen said. “Being in that environment fostered a lot of creativity, and I was surrounded by a lot of people who expressed their creativity through their clothes and their accessories.”
Like all graduating seniors, Brodeen’s high school and college freshman experiences were severely affected by COVID-19. However, she redefined quarantine by using it to develop her jewelry skills and brand, simultaneously setting herself up for Made by Grace’s future success.
“My first set up was in our empty garage. I had my old desk in that garage, so that was my jewelry studio for a good year and a half. And then, going into COVID-19, I definitely picked up on it more. It became very therapeutic for me.”
“I’m inspired by the world around me,” the craftswoman establishes. “I love channeling motifs that I see in media and what’s popular right now. For instance, the bow trend. I’m a big bow-liever! I love, love, love the coquette aesthetic. I somehow felt attached to it; it’s in a lot of my work.”
Brodeen declares that her jewelry “started off very kitschy. I would find little trinkets and drill holes into them to make my own charms and make pendants, earrings, key chains, or whatever off of that.”
Now, she testifies that much of her inspiration roots from the materials she has and what she can source and do. She swears by thrifting, or any opportunity where she can garner materials from a “non-traditional source,” as she believes it’s more environmentally friendly. Moreover, she dabbles in various mediums and methods. “I did clay for a while. I did resin. What I’m primarily focused on is more so beading,” Brodeen says.
In addition to distinctive articles of clothing, Brodeen also creates collections. Her Eras Tour collection is her most popular one to date. She humbly describes it as “a fun project for [her] to figure out what [each] era corresponds to and what sort of aesthetics [she’s] going for.” The collection features one necklace for each of Taylor Swift’s eras, the styles ranging from layered pendants to crystal centerpieces to charm-full wonders.
The critical values behind Made By Grace’s mission are affordability, individuality, and charity.
“I would say something that sets me aside from a traditional vendor in any sort of vending sphere is that I aim to keep prices low. I’m always willing to haggle if someone comes up to the stand. I love to do deals with people,” Brodeen says. “We’re all college students. As much as we love to shop, it’s not something that’s as accessible for everyone.”
Made by Grace’s overall aesthetic is eye-catching, colorful, and completely unique. Each piece is individually crafted — there are no duplicates.
She says, “When something sells, for the most part, I’m not making that piece again. I love having one-of-a-kind pieces. It does take more work and more attention to detail, but it ensures that everyone is getting a piece that you won’t see anywhere else.”
Brodeen confidently states that her pieces “are definitely not for everyone, and that’s okay. But I have found a demographic of people who do really like my stuff. And I have a lot of loyal returning customers. It’s so fun to see them, like, come up to my stand wearing my stuff!”
The jewelry maker believes that “endorsing your value of charity and humility within your business is a great value that a lot of buyers should be endorsing.” In addition to owning and running Made by Grace, working part-time, and being a full-time student, she is an active member of Delta Nu Zeta, a premier social service sorority on campus. She has created multiple collections for them, all of which went towards their philanthropy, a local dog rescue called The Good Karma Project.
That’s not all: Made by Grace also does commissions. She values utmost authenticity in her commissions, so she aims to “keep it at a small scale. Something that’s manageable for me, and that I can still put a lot of care and dedication into my craft and not be too overwhelmed. I’m really thankful and excited that it’s something that people have supported!”
As every proud business owner should be, Brodeen is eternally appreciative of how far Made by Grace has come and the heights it has yet to achieve. “I thank everyone who has even just stopped at my stall and who appreciated my art, ’cause at the end of the day, it kind of is my art. So, it’s always lovely to see people have such positivity towards it and towards me. Everyone’s been very gracious to me and supportive.”
Speaking of grace, Brodeen has been more than gracious to include a promotion in this profile! If you mention this article at her Market Wednesday stand, you’ll receive 25% off your purchase, including negotiations.
Follow Made by Grace on Instagram and DM her with any commission or collection requests for your organization!
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