Marisa Crawn brings her love of the Jersey shore to customers everywhere through her business, Marisa Nailed It. Her line of handcrafted epoxy resin charcouterie boards and barware started with an ocean inspired line that has now expanded to include floral designs, sparkly sprinkle birthday designs, wedding and other special occasion kitchen and barware.
Marisa grew up in Manahawkin, where her parents moved when she was an infant. She currently resides in Rockaway, NJ. She is a graduate of William Paterson University and when she is not wearing her artist, maker, business owner hat she currently works full time for a healthcare IT company.
We enjoyed sitting down with Marisa to learn more about her business.
What did the process of starting a business look like for you?
I started selling my creations August 2021. Building my business just sort of happened without me really knowing it was happening. I know, that sounds crazy right?! I never began this journey thinking I wanted to start a business. Not at all! I just wanted to do something that made me feel happy. I had no idea what that was, but what I did know was that creating made me happy, and without even realizing it, my business was born. It has been fun, exciting, enlightening, fearful, stressful, confusing, but none the less has been the biggest blessing in disguise.
When did you first learn about your craft and medium and how did your creative journey lead you to where you are now?
When Covid hit and everything shut down, I was looking for an outlet that made me feel happy. I would go to the Jersey Shore (my happy place) and collect driftwood. I ended up making shelves out of them, bringing elements of the beach into my home. This really got my creative juices going! I decided one day to build a farmhouse bench. It came out beautiful, so I made another one. That then lead to me building welcome signs. I began selling them locally on Facebook and working with local real estate agents as a gift for their new homeowners.
One day, as I was scrolling through Facebook, saw an ocean resin charcuterie board and was mesmerized by how gorgeous it was. Being curious, and never having any experience with epoxy resin, I did some research. The next day I purchase all of the supplies and began creating my own nontoxic, food safe ocean charcuterie boards. Making each board made me feel so close to the beach, and even more so brought me so much joy and connection during a time when the world was shut down and disconnected. I wanted to share them with others in hopes it brought them as much joy as it did to me.
In September 2021, I opened up an Etsy shop to reach more people. I did really well and decided to branch out and start selling at craft fairs. I have participated in many craft fairs across NJ. In October 2022, my friend and I were shopping in Morristown. We went into Just Jersey and just fell in love with the store. My friend commented "your stuff would be perfect for the store" and next thing I knew she was talking to the owner, Tina! We had a great conversation which led me to becoming a vendor!
Who/what inspires you and your work?
The beach is my biggest inspiration. Growing up in Manahawkin, NJ, I was always at Long Beach Island. I was there every weekend growing up. The ocean was like my "church." A place where I felt safe, connected and inspired. My creative process really starts with a feeling. When I feel inspired and connected it opens up a floodgate of thoughts and ideas. Once I have a vision, it’s game on. I take action and bring that vision to life.
What are other hobbies/passions of yours? When not creating, how do you spend your time?
I love to spend time with my friends and family, especially my 2 sons, Ryan, 25 and Reed, 15. They are my biggest supporters. Being around people who I have fun with and bring out the best in me is super important. I love decorating, it is another passion of mine. Anytime I can change/update my decor and shop, it's a win for me! I also love being active. Whether that be at the gym, or a walk on the beach, or a hike, I love being out in nature in the sun as much as possible. I love to travel and hope to do more of that in 2024. In the summer I bet you can guess where you will find me :)
