Member Story: Rachel King of Earth Girl Designs

From Earth to the Sky

Rachel King, the owner of Earth Girl Designs, says if she had college to do all over again, she’d have taken a few classes in business and marketing.

But for somebody who has been selling her own jewelry for 15 years, and opened her own storefront months into a worldwide pandemic and has still grown enough in that time to buy a building of her own—well, she’s clearly doing OK for herself.

She credits Adirondack Regional FCU for helping her get her dream even farther along than she thought possible.

From a Home Business to a Storefront

King, who opened a storefront with her partner, Brandon Cooke, in 2020, wanted to move into a new space she could make her own. But the thought of jumping through hoops to get a loan made her nervous.

“I thought we had to come up with an obscene amount of money,” she says. “I was going to borrow from my family. I didn’t know if we would be able to find materials. I didn’t know it could really happen—but it’s happening.”

She says Russ Cronin, Adirondack Regional FCU’s CEO, helped her realize: She could do this. “He was so just helpful and explained everything so well, and made the whole process less intimidating—and easy,” she says.

With a property loan to buy a building at 70 Park St. and a line of credit to carry out renovations for the storefront and apartments above, she’s hoping to open the space in the new year.

Building Tupper Lakes Economy & Community

King, who grew up in Tupper Lake, says she never imagined returning home after heading west to California. But when she returned in 2015, she says, she started seeing her hometown differently. And she wanted to contribute to the community.

In her store, she imagines a place where people can find something for every budget, from baubles to fine jewelry. And do it in a stylish, nature-flavored space—“modern rustic,” she says.

King says she feels like the staff at the credit union shares her vision of contributing to Tupper Lake. “They're excited for us,” she says. “They want to see this growth too.”

She’s already thinking about fixing up more apartments, and providing housing for more people. If she was daunted before, she isn’t now.

“When we're ready for our next project, I'll be going to the credit union first,” she says.

See Earth Girl Designs at: www.earthgirldesigns.com