Elon Student Entrepreneur Launches Jewelry Business During Pandemic

It’s no secret that Elon students are creative, and sophomore Caroline Durham is certainly no exception. She took advantage of the free time provided by quarantine to turn her hobby of jewelry-making into her very own business.

Durham spent her junior and senior years of high school living in a small surf town in Costa Rica. There, she began making beautifully hand-crafted earrings, necklaces, and more. She sold these pieces at one of her favorite breakfast spots in Costa Rica for a few years and continued on to improve her skills after coming to Elon.

“I had been selling my things at a local place in Costa Rica for a while,” Durham says. “But with [the coronavirus], I had more time to make jewelry and no way to get it to Costa Rica.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Durham and her family could not return to their home in Costa Rica, so she was unable to sell any of the products she had made during quarantine, and her inventory was quickly increasing. So, after coming back to campus in the fall and getting a little help from her friends, Durham decided to officially launch her own business called The Travelin' Teacher.

“With a growing inventory and lots of encouragement from friends and family, I decided it was finally time to take the dive and start my own business,” Durham says.

Inspired by her love for traveling and her dream of teaching students abroad, her brand has quickly spread across campus, especially after launching an Etsy site earlier this year.

“They are really well made,” friend and Elon sophomore Caroline French says. “I not only like supporting my friend but also [a] small business.”

Durham is not alone in finding a way to make the best out of this difficult year. It’s incredible to how Elon students have shown resilience throughout the pandemic by creating new products and brands, which are featured in the Student Made Store and across social media.

The way Durham was able to take a hobby and completely transform it during this time of uncertainty is inspiring and something that we can all learn from. It’s not always easy to put yourself out there, but since officially launching her new brand, Durham has gained not just an audience but more importantly confidence as well. She’s already sold more than she could’ve ever imagined and is ready to use winter break to create even more content and products for her customers.

Durham’s story is encouraging and shows that we all have the capacity to use this free time over break to work toward our goals or try something new. If you have an idea or hobby that you are passionate about, try taking it to new heights with a new project or business! As we saw from Durham’s experience, you never know what will come of it until you try.