This time of year is always a bit nostalgic for us.  We have a lot of late-summer/early-fall employee anniversaries and our yearly staff retreat is always a reminder of how much the business has grown and changed over the years.  Soon, B3 will make the first big move we’ve made since the business moved out of Rebeca’s spare bedroom and next year, we’ll celebrate our 10th birthday!  All things considered, it seemed like a good time to take a look back at how far we’ve come.

This post explores Blue Buddha history from the perspectives of it’s employees who were asked to reminisce about their first days at B3 and also reflect on the changes we’ve made so far.  (We also included some of our favorite “family photos” from over the years for your viewing pleasure *wink*.)  Enjoy!

Artie – B3 Team Member since July 2007

My First Day: I started when most of the company fit into Rebeca’s spare bedroom/office. I had never trained and worked three feet away from a new boss – needless to say I had plenty of motivation to learn quickly! Thankfully, Rebeca always had time for my endless questions as I struggled to master all of the new information and tasks.

B3 had been growing long before I joined the team. Tumbling operations had taken over most of the kitchen, and shipping materials were camped out in the hallway. I used to hand write all of the shipping information on our packages, so I remember being excited about the new B3 return address labels.

My, how things have changed:  The business has changed in so many ways since I started. Mostly though, I appreciate the ways B3 hasn’t changed. B3’s core values have been the foundation of each incarnation, so it still feels like a close-knit (or tightly-woven?) “small” business – even though we’re recognized worldwide. About a year ago, I was reminded that full-timers are at work more often than they’re at home. It’s amazing to work with a wonderful and unique group of people who care about the company, our customers and each other. It’s not surprising that B3 has flourished, and I can only imagine even bigger and brighter things for the future.

Kat – B3 Team Member since February 2008

My First Day:  I was completely confused as I had no experience with metals other than copper and sterling.  I didn’t even know all of these other metals existed.  I was also excited as I had limited weave knowledge and was excited to learn new weaves.

We got done processing & filling orders within about 3 hours when I first started.  Also each person picked, filled, packed & put their own shipping labels on their own orders.  One person walked/drove to the PO everyday.

My, how things have changed: Now, orders never stop coming in!  We have a postal pickup (sometimes 2x a day.) We ship to a ton of different countries.  We are answering the phone non-stop.  And of course, there is absolutely very little room in the studio to move.

Jen – B3 Team Member since September 2008

My First Day: Most of my previous jobs were for big companies with many employees. I hardly ever interacted with the bigwigs and now here I was sitting and working in the same room with the owner! I must admit, it actually made me kind of nervous. Four years later and I’ve finally started to relax … a little. Everything changed so fast. We all did a little bit of everything. I went from inventory assistant to inventory coordinator/customer service to the buyer in what seemed like three, maybe four days.

My, how things have changed: Well, back in MY day we used to heel-toe it the 1.2 miles round trip to the post office and back. Now, the postal workers come to us. At that time there was TONS of room in the office – so much room that we could do yoga and aerobics and have relay races, even twirl around with our arms out if we really wanted. Now you can’t even take two steps without having to do the B3 Shuffle (raise your arms, back up, twirl, sway your hips and do whatever other dance steps necessary for one of you to get by). In all seriousness, we have evolved so much in such a short time and I’m lucky to be a part of it.

Jenna – B3 Team Member since September 2008

My First Day: I just remember marveling at this whole world that I never even knew existed!  All of these jump rings and patterns and orders for a craft I knew nothing about before stumbling upon the job listing.  There were a lot of processes to learn since all of us helped with every aspect of fulfilling orders – from tumbling and quality controlling all the way through walking the orders to the P.O.  On my very first day, Kat and I actually got soaking wet when a huge storm decided to roll through while we were taking the orders to be shipped (we used our umbrella to protect the packages instead of ourselves ha!)

My, how things have changed: As our marketing maven, I am especially amazed at how much our brand and community following has grown.  I actually remember discussing with Rebeca whether or not we should start a MySpace page for B3!  Wow, that feels ancient.  Despite some initial wariness, Rebeca agreed with me that Facebook would be the way to go.  More than 4,000 fans later, I think we went the right direction *wink*.

I have done almost every job at B3 at one point or another and I love seeing how processes have changed and improved over the years as we’ve hired more and more smart, creative folks to do all the things that make B3 so special.  It’s also just incredible to me to walk in each day and see this group of people (which is about 3 times the size of the team when I started!) working together and making everything happen.

Jason – B3 Team Member since October 2009

My First Day: I had no idea at all what to expect starting out at Blue Buddha. Everything was new to me. All these letters, numbers, rings, bins and bags. Organization and procedure systems created from the ground up by a small group of creative individuals. What is all this?! It was a lot to take in, but I was excited to help and add my own talents to building something special. The moment I knew that I was really a part of the team was when I got to add my name to the side of our [post office delivery] mail / maille cart … in permanent ink!

My, how things have changed: Since then quite a bit has changed. Firstly, I’m no longer the sole representative for the male gender (Artie was on a short leave when I first began). I’ve been able to meet and work with all kinds of interesting new people, and orders that I used to consider to be huge and daunting to fulfill are now just part of the daily routine.

I’m honestly not entirely sure where I see Blue Buddha in the future. I do know we’ll have a new, grand, spacious place and more new faces to see. And I do know that I’m proud to be part of starting something that will carry on after me. The company itself and all the pieces of art people that have created with our supplies.

Aimee – B3 Team Member since March 2010

My First Day: My first day at B3 I was overwhelmed with all the ring sizes, AR, etc.  I was thinking, “How am I going to learn all this crazy stuff!”  But now I know it so well, I can’t believe I was even worried about it 😉

My, how things have changed: The business has grown quite a bit since I started (the space at work seems to shrink every year – I can not wait to move to our new HUGE space!)  I am sure I will continue to see this growth in years to come.  It is great to see a small company be so successful!  I can’t wait until Blue Buddha becomes the ring capital of the U.S. (maybe even the world!)

Lisa – B3 Team Member since October 2010

My First Day:  One of the first experiences I remember is playing Apples to Apples and Wits and Wagers and I was thinking that, if the position was anything like that game I was going to be in trouble!  Thankfully, a co-worker assured me that the game was beyond them too. Phew!

My, how things have changed: When I first started, I really liked that I could be myself here and have fun.  That part definitely hasn’t changed!  I love that I get to work at shows now.  My first show, I remember thinking, “I’m getting paid to be here at this awesome show?”  I keep all my exhibitor badges from shows displayed on my vanity at home.

April – B3 Team Member since August 2012 (one of our newest employees!)

My First Day:  So far, my first impressions and first days have been AWESOME!  Even though I don’t have a ton of jewelry-making/mailling specific experience, I *love* craft culture, so working to supply people with crafty goods is on the top of my dream-job list.  The job of helping fill orders totally suits my hyper-organized side, but the job is not so rigid or retentive that I can’t keep my purple hair.  However, the best part is that the people I work with and for — frankly, I can’t imagine any other employer being so full of nice, helpful, smart, and creative people.

My, how things have changed: The only thing I can say about how things have changed is that, between my interview and my first day of work, a whole section of a room has already been reorganized and moved around.  This will definitely keep me on my toes while starting out.

Live in the Chicago area and want to become a B3 team member? Check out our Employment page for the most up-to-date job opportunities at Blue Buddha Boutique.