Name of business: Pandemic Clay Designs

Type of business: Jewelry

Specialty: Handcrafted and painted clay earrings

Location: Greater Turlock area

Contact: Instagram at @Pandemic.Clay.Designs, Facebook at Pandemic Clay Designs

History of business:

Like many people during the shutdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marlene Naranjo of Turlock took to arts and crafts to pass the time. While she has always been creative, inspired greatly by her mother’s scrapbooking and her father’s woodwork, Naranjo took it to the next level with her experimentation with polymer clay. But before she knew it, what she thought would be just a fun hobby that would help her with gifts for family and friends turned into a successful small business — Pandemic Clay Designs.

“The name was just random and it’s just stuck,” Naranjo lightheartedly said.

Those clay designs are of all colors, sizes and designs. It’s their uniqueness that has made them a hit amongst community members. 

By request of customers, she has created earrings portraying just about anything, from tacos, cookies, flowers, pumpkins, dogs, cats, Mexican pottery and even popular figures like Selena and Frida Kahlo.

“Like many things, I got some ideas from scrolling Pinterest,” she said. “Pinterest is always a good place for people who enjoy different things like cooking or design. For me, what caught my eye was jewelry, and there were clay earrings that looked pretty cool. I ran over to the craft store to get some tools and supplies and just started trying new things.

“Honestly, my idea was not to start a business out of this. It was more like, ‘Now I can make things and gift them.’ And I did that and I got a nice response from them. Then my mom started telling me that I needed to start an Instagram and that I needed to start selling them. I was hesitant, but I did, and friends and family started jumping in. And with word of mouth, it kind of blew up and now we’re here four years later.”

Naranjo’s small business has a following of over 3,000 between Instagram and Facebook. Many found her just by seeing others wear the colorful creations. Several also came across her at several shops, whether it’s Little Red Door in downtown, Turlock’s occasional Friday Block Party or the Oakdale Farmers Market. Customers also tend to place orders or toss out ideas to her through Instagram and Facebook messages. 

Naranjo says there isn’t an idea she hasn’t tried to make a reality.

“I really do like to challenge myself,” she said. “Most if not all the designs have been requests. And most times, they're things I’ve never made before. People are like, ‘Hey, do you think you can make this?’ And I'm like, ‘I don't know, I haven't tried. Let's check it out.’ And every time that somebody challenged me to something different, I was able to make it happen. And to see people happy with what I've made and they continue to come back, it just pushes me to do more. I just want my pieces to go everywhere. I want everybody to say, ‘Wow, this is cool. I'm not just buying a pair of earrings, I'm buying something that I wanted, something that means something to me.’ And that makes me so happy.”

For example, one of her recent creations, the tacos, took her nearly 10 hours to complete. She described it just like making an actual taco, starting with the tortilla base, adding meat and complementing it with jalapenos, radishes, onions and cilantro.

“The designs in 2020 started out so simple, and now there are some that are a bit more complicated,” Naranjo said. “It just took practice and lots of trial and error. To see people coming back and wanting more, and asking for more of the not-so-simple designs is amazing to see.

“I'm thankful for everybody who's supported my business, everybody that shows love to my designs. It's something that I've grown to really, really love.”