Turning Beads into a Business in Rapid City

Oweesta Corporation Success Story

When Black Hills Community Loan Fund opened applications for their new program “Pivoting in a Pandemic,” they received 200 applications within three days for only twenty openings.

Beau, a beadwork artist based in Rapid City, South Dakota, landed one of the coveted spots that would help him “pivot” his fledgling beading business to e-commerce. Beau was born in Rapid City and grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where he learned beading techniques from local artists and mentors. It was while in prison that he focused on honing his craft as a form of expression, identity, and cultural history.

The Native art business is robust; it is also decentralized, informal, and self-reliant. A survey by Native Women Lead in March 2020 found that only 50% of “solo-preneurs” were legally structured and 70% of respondents shared their business were their sole source of income. Like many Native “solo-preneurs” who operate out of their own homes, Beau relied on in-person events including pow wows, art shows, and craft fairs to sell his handicrafts. When the Covid-19 pandemic halted in-person gatherings and events, many artists lost their livelihoods without having any contingency plans or alternative routes for selling, and, in most cases, without having any emergency funds.

Read the Full Article Here