Written by YHS sophomore Narayan Black
OAKHURST – Many people know Cheryce Chartier from her years of working at Pak and Page and Creative Hands.
Few people know that she is also a skilled Mompreneur: a dedicated mom who is also busy building her own niche in business. She has been working her crafts for five years now and sells her jewelry at various fairs.
Cheryce has four daughters who have graduated from Yosemite High School.
Her oldest, Kasarah, is 25 years old and has graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco. She is currently continuing her education with a degree in business.
Her second oldest is Krystal, who is currently 23. She graduated with a degree in anthropology at Santa Cruz and she’s also continuing her education as well as working part time.
Kamilia is Cheryce’s third daughter. She just turned 21 and is in her senior year at Cal State Monterey Bay. She will be graduating next year with her major in psychology and a minor in sociology. Kamilia is also applying to grad schools right now to get her degree in clinical psychology. She is also working part time to pay for her education.
Last, but not least, is Maria. Cheryce became Maria’s parental guardian when she was 15, and she will be turning 21 next month. She goes to our very own Oakhurst Community College and also works full-time at Kevin Lowry’s State Farm office in Oakhurst. Cheryce is a proud mother and uses her crafts to help her daughters through college.
She found her inspiration from observing her coworkers making crafty objects at work, and when Pak and Page started carrying jewelry supplies she decided to try it out. She found that she had a knack for making jewelry and really enjoyed the whole process of fashioning jewelry from beads and other materials she can get her hands on.
Cheryce usually finds herself on weekends or in her spare time in her crafts room, putting together her many creations. She makes many kinds of jewelry like necklaces and bracelets. The materials she uses vary from beads and jewels to board game pieces and exquisite stones she finds on the beach.
The difficulty Cheryce finds in her business is not in making or finding the supplies, but in finding time to sell her jewelry. She sells her work at craft fairs and to local people and friends.
She finds joy knowing that she created something that she knows someone actually wants to wear. Cheryce’s Creations is a home local business that is a growing part of the community.
For more of Cheryce’s Creations visit her webpage on Etsy.
