Erica and Josh Kingslien from Brush Prairie sell a variety of accessories made out of wood, leather and other materials at their shop called Winging It.
Erica decided to start the business because of a talent she had from a young age.
“I’ve been crafting and making stuff forever,” Erica said. “My mom taught me how to sew and crochet when I was younger, and the actual Winging It part came up when I was already making stuff to try to sell online like (on) Etsy.”
She said Josh was laid off in 2019. That led the couple to make the “huge decision” of starting their own business.
“We decided to just jump and go for it. That’s pretty much where the ‘winging it’ started,” she said.
The business name ties into their approach since the Kingsliens started by “winging it until you make it.”
Before she started their business, Erica said she sold resin art, necklace pendants, and earrings online. She also sold jewelry boxes, crochet dolls and shoes. Due to the competition with online shops, the Kingsliens relied on selling their goods at local markets.
“It got even more competitive with all the lockdowns in 2020. More people expanded their businesses or made businesses, so it got even harder,” she said.
One of the most unique items the Kingsliens make are earrings in the shape of plague doctor masks from the Black Plague, which resemble a long bird beak. Josh is primarily in charge of crafting the items which are made from leather and then hand-dyed and hand-stitched.
“He was just making keychains and then we had a customer who really liked them and wanted them as earrings,” Erica said. “And so he made her a pair and then he made a couple more after that. They’re big, so that’s why he didn’t think they would do good as earrings, but some people love big earrings, so it works.”
Earrings, in general, are their most popular items. Other types of earrings they sell are made from wood and acrylic in various shapes like butterfly wings, bears, cacti and seahorses. They also sell crocheted purses, which Erica said is another popular item. One of the purses they sell is a “granny square,” which is rounded and has flowers in it. Around Halloween, they sell a lot of laser-cut acrylic knives, she said.
Winging It will be at Rose City Comic Con in Portland from Sept. 9 to Sept. 11. Erica said the business will sell coffin-shaped purses and saddle bags at the event.
“I’m just trying to get more of my Halloween ones out there, Halloween fabrics,” she said. “I embroider onto vinyl and then I make it into a purse, so (I’m) getting that stock up for the Rose City Comic Con.”
Besides Winging It, Josh and Erica run Kingslien Creations, which does 3D modeling.
More information on Winging It can be found online at wingingitshop.com and more information on Kinslien Creations can be found at kingsliencreations.com.
