A 2007 University of Rhode Island graduate, Alison Van Hemelrijck escaped the cold of New England for a career in fashion in Los Angeles. Yet, after more than seven years in the California sunshine, Van Hemelrijck wanted to start her own business.
“I felt a little bit detached working in the design industry because we were doing a lot of computer-based work,” she said of her time in California.
Today, she owns Rijck Leather out of a studio in Shady Lea Mill and is glad to be at the helm – creatively and in terms of leadership.
“I’m a creative mind rather than a business mind,” she said. “It’s been great to physically work with my hands [again].”
Van Hemelrijck is even more enthused about the local entrepreneur community.
“The artist community in Rhode Island is really well-connected and it’s a great place to start a business like this,” she said.
Van Hemelrijck described the Rijck Leather brand as “timeless and minimalistic.” She wanted each item produced to be long-lasting and not impacted by the seemingly endless vacillation of fashion trends. In addition, she strives to design each of her pieces – which include clutches, wallets, wristlets and key chains – in a “unisex” manner so that any gender consumer can “identify” with the item.
Leather used in Rijck Leather products is sourced from the United States. Today, the shop is all leather goods, but Van Hemelrijck hopes to soon expand her portfolio to include canvas and textile goods.
The connectivity of the Rhode Island market, she explained, has helped spread her footprint even without a brick-and-mortar shop.
Relationships with local companies – including the Dean Hotel and Stock Culinary Market LLC – have allowed her to “branch off into all these different types of projects,” be they business-to-business collaborations or word-of-mouth commissions.
The majority of Van Hemelrijck’s income, she estimated, comes from a combination of local shop sales and wholesale business.
Currently, Van Hemelrijck is the sole Rijck Leather employee but she hopes to change that soon. Her goal had been to “grow organically” and she said she’s achieved that.
Van Hemelrijck said she has come to enjoy some of the “business” parts of her job, such as marketing and meeting the customer – things her previous career lacked.
In larger companies, “You’re behind the scenes, the volume is bigger and you’re not as connected to the customer,” she said of previous experiences. Now, she’s hoping to take on one employee to help with production and manufacturing.
She envisions that will happen in baby steps, starting with an internship program for local students. Referencing previous internship requests, she views the idea as a method to understanding exactly how she would use a full-time employee.
“There’s a lot of creative talent in Rhode Island,” said Van Hemelrijck, but for now the company remains a one-woman show.
OWNER: Alison Van Hemelrijck
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Leather-goods manufacturer
LOCATION: 215 Shady Lea Road, North Kingstown
EMPLOYEES: One
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2015
ANNUAL SALES: WND
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, Gowdey-backus@PBN.com.
