'Making wall clocks has saved me from joblessness'

The walls of the small store hang with objects which could pass for pieces of interior décor-murals.

But look deeper and the true identity slowly emerges: they are customised wall clocks; intricately woven, painted; the hands of time ticking amidst a riot of colour and beauty.

A particularly striking piece is a clock with a piece of Kitenge cloth as the background. Margaret Wanyagia stumbled into her now thriving custom-made wall clocks business venture in the most ironic of ways.

She was at Thika Road Mall (TRM) in Nairobi in June this year to attend a job interview. Whiling away her time, Margaret spotted a man near the gate. By his side was a display of customised clocks.

They were the most unique, creative items she had ever seen.

Since childhood, Margaret had been interested in art, and the artist in her immediately sprang and she walked over to the man.

APPRENTICESHIP

The clocks were exquisite, yet modest. "May I ask you how you make these?" she ambushed the trader. No problem, the man said and thus a partnership began.

By the end of the long conversation, Margaret, a graduate in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Machakos University, knew this is something she wanted to do.

"The secret was in the beauty and the simplicity," she explains. "By using common shoe thread, nail tacks and a soft board one could make something unique."

Over the next one month, Margaret apprenticed under the clockmaker, Edwin, at his workshop in Githurai.

The training was free; the only ‘cost' was selling the finished products. Better still, there was a commission for each sale.

Margaret was soon adept at the craft, and with what she refers to her "made-for-sales-eyes", she was soon making good money.

GROWTH

The raw material was readily available. The factory procured shoe thread in different colours - soft board, nails, and cloth.

For Margaret, the arrangement was made even easier as she had a friend who resided in Roysambu estate, not too far from the Githurai factory.

From July this year, Margaret, 23, has been selling her clocks in her hometown of Othaya, Nyeri County, and also in Nairobi.

"I saw a gap in the market and sought to fill it," she explains her decision to go full-time. "I have discovered many people want a unique product."

Her mother, initially sceptical of her daughter's choice of livelihood, was soon won over after Margaret brought home the first batch of clocks. "She was my very first customer," says Margaret.

Bubbly, with an eye for fashion and colour, Margaret says the demand for her clocks has grown at an encouraging pace.

She wouldn't also think twice about stopping a stranger for a sale. That was the initial interaction with this reporter.

SELF-RENEWAL

The secret to her success, she says, is to keep improving, experimenting with new ideas and designs. It takes her about six hours to complete one clock.

The process involves nailing tiny tacks into the board, then hand-weaving strings around the nails according to the desired pattern.

The clocks go for Sh2,000. Through research and feedback from potential customers, the entrepreneur has discovered she can make more sales by making different sizes to suit different wallets.

Margaret, who will receive her degree later in the year, sees her business as a complement to her course. "They are somehow intertwined because I will be dealing in culture, hotels, and décor."

HARD WORK

She also travels to Nyeri Town weekly to sell her wares, and also uses online platforms - Facebook and Instagram - to market them. "The market is good, and I didn't expect it to pick up so fast," she says.

During the interview, several people popped into her temporary stall in Othaya town, with some making orders.

"The next step in my entrepreneurial journey is registering my company," she says.

Margaret says she plans to diversify her products by designing items for interior décor. There is no limit, she says.

And she has what it takes: colour, quick hands, a winning smile, and a gap in the market. "I have time on my hands."