COLLEGE STATION, Texas — One local woman has recently opened the first Pinspiration in College Station with the goal of bringing a center for creativity to the Brazos Valley.
Pinspiration opened this past fall and allows people of all ages to come together and make all sorts of crafts such as candles, paintings and wooden art pieces.
Ginna Schoppe found herself straying too far from her family and decided to make a change and open Pinspiration.
“I was in the finance world for a long time and traveled a lot, and my daughters one day just said I wasn't home so I had to make a change and I was looking to start a business here in the craft business because there wasn’t a lot for kids," said Schoppe. "So I was just researching and came across Pinspiration franchise and it was perfect it was exactly what I was looking for.“
With no prior experience running a business, Schoppe described what her transition was like from the finance to independent business world.
Schoppe said, “The shift was easy because I was always a crafter. My mom, my aunt, my grandmother, its in my family big time that we craft, so that was natural. The business side of it, I didn’t know. I never owned a business before, so everything was a challenge in that what to do I do what do I start with.”
Her struggles were met with support as her neighboring female business owners came to her aid at difficult times in her journey.
“At the yard here in South College Station right next door to Uncorked, we have Marfa's at the end. The three of us, we partner together quite often trying to support each other. Uncorked has been amazing she passes out flyers for me, very supportive," explained Schoppe. "There's other women, Holly at Costa Vida, she's amazing. I just enjoy that there's so many women her in this area that we just bounce off of each other and help each other.”
The strength and encouragement that comes from women supporting women has diminished the stigma around male dominated industries like business.
“We can do anything the guys can do we truly believe that, so I think we don’t even pay attention to that it doesn’t matter as long as we put our mind to it,” she said.