With pluck, some luck, artist finds her market

Teresa O’Connor, center, dances in front of her shop with Bronwyn Lauder, left, and Matt Trimble.

Teresa O’Connor, owner of Hello Lucky and curator of the Craftacular Second Saturday Market, has achieved success by tapping into a burgeoning demand for local, handmade crafts and designs.

She knew from an early age that she wanted to be a part of the art world, and the only concern was determining which niche she would fit into. “I got my (bachelor of arts) in painting and my master’s in sculpture, and while I was studying both, I was doing installation work,” O’Connor says. “As I transitioned more and more into video, which is less marketable, I started designing T-shirts that would go along with my installations.”

This would turn out to be the first major step that led to the creation of her current shop, which sells a number of items, including T-shirts and jewelry. Hello Lucky opened in January 2008, and now, almost five years later, business is still doing well. “I was doing things that were a little more funky,” O’Connor said. “Sculptural things that were leaning more between art and design than they were craft.”

At first, the shop only opened a couple of times each week, as O’Connor was engaged with other projects that took up a great deal of her time. As Hello Lucky became more successful, the store became more of a focus, and it is now open five days week, Wednesday through Sunday.

“It was sort of a timely thing because people started taking an interest in things that are locally made again,” O’Connor said. In March 2011, O’Connor branched out and began curating the Craftacular market, which is held for four hours the second Saturday of each month in the Heights.

“The majority of the time, I have between five and 20 people asking me to sell their things,” O’Connor said. “The craft market is a way to be able to show Houston we have all these amazing handmade things.” Based on her involvement with Hello Lucky and Craftacular, it is clear that O’Connor has found her niche, and her future appears bright.

More information about Hello Lucky can be found at www.hello-lucky.com.

ABOUT TERESA O'CONNOR
AGE: 49
OCCUPATION: Artist/shop owner
COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Operates Hello Lucky in the Heights
FAST FACT: Profiled in “Texas Artists Today”