The Why Behind The Redheaded Camel

I can remember it like it was yesterday, y'all... nineteen year-old me was helping set the kitchen table on June 25, 2014.  I'd been at work all day - where I opened my Etsy shop on the clock (#badSarah).  I knew Etsy allowed you to change your shop name once after the shop was officially open, and I knew deep down in my soul that I just didn't love "Canvas Conversations."  I mean... it's pretty cheesy, right?

So, I casually said to my parents, 

"What if I change the name to The Redheaded Camel?"

I knew I only got one "change" pass.  I knew it was a weird name.  The look on their faces confirmed both of those things for sure.  Basically, here's how I remember it:  

1. I suggest new name.
2. Looks of "is that the best we can come up with?" from mom and dad.
3. I convince myself that if the name really is the weirdest thing ever, I can always change it and open a new Etsy shop with a better name someday.

So, I changed it, which is kind of terrifying when the big red button says, "1 of 1 changes complete."

 The first part of the new name is fairly obvious.  I'm a redhead.  If you'd told 14 year-old Sarah that she'd name a business after the thing that she was picked on most about, 14 year-old Sarah would have laughed.  A lot.  I haven't always loved being a redhead.  The freckles, the sunburn, the inability to be any color besides what I call "glue white," and the standing out in a crowd were not always my favorite things.  Since then, though, I've come to terms with it and actually learned to really love it.  In the interest of transparency, I think it's important that I share that a big part of why I now define being a redhead as one of my favorite physical features is because of the business named after it.

The second part of the name is obvious to anyone who actually knows me in real life or knows my story (hey, social media friends!).  My college mascot is a fighting camel - yes, you read that correctly.  Of all the things I could think of when trying to come up with a business name, "camel" stood out most.  The irony of this is not lost on me - I spent the first thirteen years of my life strongly and outspokenly opposing the idea of going to school at Campbell.  Looking back, not only did I love the school, but I also loved it so much that I named my business after it.  Funny how God's plans are always bigger than our own, right?!

So, there you have it!  The most random and unlikely name of a business is actually super simple.  In fact, it's almost a different name for me.  Over the years, The Redheaded Camel has grown a personality and story all of her own, and while we used to be one in the same, I like to think that she's a little more of her own person now.

In honor of our fourth birthday being just around the corner, here's a little stroll down memory lane of our logos over the years!