Beads, necklaces and other accessories are laid out on a card table at a local festival show. For Amy Hammarlund, owner of Senn Designs in Augusta, she creates beaded jewelry inspired by world cultures.
Hammarlund worked alongside her mother, Susan Senn-Davis, for years. Senn-Davis passed away last year and her photo sits alongside the jewelry.
“We would get lots of ideas just from her travels and just staying on top of fashion trends, but what I love about the company is that we appeal to all ages,” Hammarlund said. “…We kind of tailor what we do to different stores, but always we are fitting in those big statement piece necklaces that my mom, what she was really known for, what she started doing.”
Hammarlund credits her mother with everything relating to the business, priding herself in the quality of the products.
“Just growing up and watching her always be so creative and always had her hand in something, either painting or drawing or decorating her house with all sorts of Asian influence, she just had an eye for everything,” Hammarlund said. “…We would laugh and people would ask questions and say how do you continue to come up with new ideas, and sometimes beads just speak to you and my mom, we had a little joke that we would make something and say that necklace just made itself because we just see the pieces and an idea just forms in our head and you can just find yourself making something without even really thinking about it.”
Hammarlund, whose jewelry is featured in SoHo, Swank and 3 Chicks Boutiques in Surrey Center, wants to continue the legacy her mother started with jewelry making.
“I think it was just so much more than a business to us….It’s not just me. She still influences me so much and she was so loving and creative and always giving,” Hammarlund said.
“To be able to carry on her legacy and to know that I am doing something that she would still be doing to this day if she were here,” she continued. “As hard as it’s been the past year, I took a small break and took a couple of months off and I am trying to get back. I am really trying to get back into the best I can. It will never be the same without her and my children aren’t quite interested yet, but you never know. I would love to collaborate.”
Hammarlund will host a local trunk show at the North Augusta Arts and Heritage Center on May 4 from 4 to 7 p.m.
To learn more about Senn Designs, visit their website and social media.