Designs worthy of turning a hobby into a full-time gig

While always intrigued by at-home craft projects and activities, Tash Macleod’s typical day was spent working in the hospitality industry up until last year.

Sitting in her lounge room in August, she was intently focusing on her latest hobby of creating jewellery out of clay when her entrepreneurial-minded partner Omer Kadioglu suggested they could make something of this new passion.

Deciding to buy all the equipment needed to expand the collection to their friends and family, Tash and Omer soon turned their home project into a full-fledged business under the name Kadio Designs.

“We realised this could be a business and so that’s when we applied for the Queen Victoria Market. We moved in at the end of November, and it just grew from there,” Tash said.

With Christmas 2021 just around the corner, the time could not have been more perfect for the duo’s introduction into the market.

“It was really good for us to start around Christmas because we were able to get the interest of the market and see what people were attracted to, so it was a really good time,” she said.

“Then after New Year it was a little bit more quiet [due to COVID] and so that’s when we started to try and push our online store.”

Pairing Tash’s creative and crafty side with Omer’s website development skills and their commitment to helping one another with the production side of things, the couple truly became a dream team.

But the task at hand has been no small feat with the production side of things taking many hours of special care and attention.

“We use a modelling clay that is specific for jewellery, so it is very lightweight and strong, and it’s just a matter of blending the colours, creating the patterns and then we cut it out into the shapes and bake it in our oven. Then we sand the pieces back for the smooth edges and do the drilling and assembling,” Tash said.

Between dedicating three days a week to creating the unique jewellery designs and operating on-site at the market from Thursday to Sunday only to go home and continue working on the business, the couple is currently working seven days a week.

The long hours and days of jewellery-making is something Tash said a lot of people didn’t understand.

But while having a small business is a big commitment, it is one they enjoy, especially given that they are now among the close-knit group found at Queen Victoria Market.

“Most of the other businesses are small family businesses and it’s such a tight group,” she said.

“You would think for a big place you wouldn’t be able to be so close with people but everyone really looks out for each other. There is also never the same crowd and never the same day, so there is always such a variety.” •

For more information: www.kadio.com.au 
 and Instagram @kadioau