She’s Behind a BHAM Charm Bar, Craft Club, AND a Book Bus!
Jewelry making, crafting, reading ... Rachael Welch wants to help Magic City women enjoy their hobbies together. Get to know this week’s FACE of Birmingham! Image: The Chasm Co.
Rachael Welch is busy doing what she loves. She’s the owner of The Chasm Co., an online jewelry shop that also hosts charm bar pop-ups around the Magic City. She’s also behind the Birmingham Craft Club, which collaborates with local artists and makers to lead monthly gatherings for Birmingham women. If that weren’t enough, she also co-owns Enjoyer Books with her husband, Cliff. We chatted with Rachael about it all!
To kick things off, how did The Chasm Co. come to be?
I always loved being crafty and creative as a kid. From that love, I started making and eventually selling handmade jewelry in high school. I sold online and in person at businesses in the area. I used to take a box of my jewelry around to different local boutiques, pitching and selling wholesale to them. I had no clue what I was even doing, but I knew I wanted to try! I loved jewelry, and I loved the idea of running a business, so I just did it.
Over the years, I changed and evolved, and Chasm did too. It’s always been just me and my little jewelry business against the world. Chasm was always there for me — when I moved across the country/world, when I pursued other careers, when I struggled mentally. It was one of the few constants in my life. It’s brought me so much joy! And now it gets to bring so many other people joy, too.
What do readers need to know about your jewelry?
It’s gold-filled! It’s fun! It’s cool! And it’s accessible! I believe everyone deserves cute, high-quality jewelry, so I make sure it’s always affordable.
What led you to start the Birmingham Craft Club, and what has the community response been like?
In 2024, I hosted my first-ever charm bar. So many people who couldn’t make it were asking me to do it again, so I just kept doing it every month. At that point, I knew other cities had craft clubs, but I had not seen one in Birmingham. Our craft club is unique, and you can always find the charm bar there every month, paired with another local woman-owned business or female artist.
Craft Club has become a third space where people get to create, meet new friends, and stay off their phones. It’s like a little bubble where we can all just feel happy and make cute stuff.
Last year’s Camp Craft Club was a smashing success. Are you planning another one this year?
YES! I plan to do Camp Craft Club in the summer, and A Very Crafty Christmas in the winter. These are market-style crafting events where you get to shop around for the craft(s) you want to participate in. They add a little extra whimsy and fun to Craft Club, so I love doing them.
On top of all that, you also run Enjoyer Books. Tell us about the book bus.
Enjoyer Books was born out of my (and my husband’s) love for reading and community. We’ve spent the last two years converting a 40-foot school bus into a mobile bookstore (with only a few months of work to go!) We are doing the entire conversion ourselves while also hosting bookshop pop-ups and special midnight release parties in Birmingham.
We specialize in adult fiction, including fantasy, sci-fi romance, and more. Basically, we believe reading can and should be a lot of fun, and we want to create spaces for people to really enjoy books.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I love eating yummy food, taking videos of my cats, trying to bake, reading, making content for fun, scrolling on Pinterest, and watching movies and shows. I especially love reality competition shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, and Traitors.
Who or what is inspiring you right now?
I am always inspired by creatives, athletes, fictional characters, and business owners. Some women I look up to a lot are Ilona Maher, Jane Goodall (my childhood hero), Drew Afualo, and Vanilla Mace. They’re all successful women who stand up for what they believe in, and they all mean so much to me.
After this Olympics, I’m so inspired to be more like Alysa Liu and embody her outlook on doing what she’s passionate about. She has reminded me to be sure I’m having fun through it all, no matter what. Joy is the whole point!
What is your best piece of advice?
Stop waiting around to do the thing you’ve been wanting to do. Post the content, apply for the job you dream about, quit the job you hate, eat the dessert, move to that new city, go outside for the first time today, book the plane tickets, tell that person you love them, adopt the cat at the animal shelter. Stop waiting!
The timing will never be perfect, and you will never be this young again. You are allowed to be passionate and silly, feel happy, find success, learn as you go, and have fun — all at the same time.
Lightning Round!
Aside from faith, family, and friends, name three things you can’t live without. Chocolate milk. My cats. Crab rangoons.
Favorite jewelry? A charm necklace.
Favorite craft? Painting ceramics.
Last delicious local meal? Cala Coffee’s new sandwiches for lunch!
Favorite place to vacation? Japan. (Future me loves it. I haven’t been yet, but I’m manifesting over here!)
Your go-to gift to give? Earrings — they’re one-size-fits-all!
FavoriteTV show binge? Traitors UK. (I’m binging all of them right now.)
Book(s) on your bedside table? I am currently reading Dark Age by Pierce Brown and The Long Game by Rachel Reid.
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Birmingham women are doing inspiring work. Meet more of them over at our FACES archives!
Katie Leigh Matthews
A Birmingham native, Katie is a lifelong waterfall chaser and is passionate about the outdoors. She also loves connecting with remarkable women in the Birmingham community and bringing their stories to life. Katie has been writing professionally for over six years; you can find more of her work at Moms.com and Islands.com.