Craig Conover discusses TV show, turning side gig into business ahead of Columbus visit
When Craig Conover was in the seventh grade, living in Fenwick Island, Delaware, he fell in love with his home economics class.
For half the class, the students practiced sewing and the other half, they worked on their cooking skills. The next time he would go back to sewing would be as an adult, more than 12 years later, And now, a side hustle has turned into a successful business with Sewing Down South.
More:Former Ohio State players to unveil new book bank, reading center in 2023
Conover, a part of the Bravo show "Southern Charm" cast, is also a lawyer now living in Charleston, South Carolina. His life has taken many twists and turns since he arrived at Charleston School of Law and graduating in 2010, but it's all led him to a stop in Columbus on Sept. 11, for The Fall Dispatch Home & Garden Show.
Conover, 33, spoke with The Dispatch about his career path, how he got involved in "Southern Charm" and more before he makes his appearance this week.
Q: For people who may not be up to speed on the show "Southern Charm," what is the premise?
Conover: The show is based out of Charleston, South Carolina. It started eight years ago following a group of friends trying to navigate the old world-new world, situation that happens in Charleston. There’s a lot of old-school money and new-school money and then there was me who moved there from the north, went to law school there and was trying to navigate myself through the city and find my way ... Now it’s followed me through relationships and now my Sewing Down South business.
Q: Do you consider yourself a Southerner or still from the north?
Conover:I felt at home down South because where I grew up (there) was a lot of farm land. It was kind of country living. I didn’t like country music, though. When my parents came down to move me in at Charleston, they knew I wasn’t ever going to move back. I love visiting Delaware and where I grew up, but Charleston was what I was always looking for, a higher sense of fashion and a more city feel. It’s a city with a small-town feel, I just wanted that. Where I was from, we called it "lower and slower Delaware" — it was great but I wanted a faster pace. I wanted something more adventurous. I will always take pride in being from the North, but I enjoy living in the South.
Q: Your company has really taken off. What’s that been like to be part of?
Conover: It’s been exciting because I get to share it with everyone that rooted for me throughout the years and a lot of times, the people who supported me looked like the craziest people in the room. It’s really neat to actually be able to follow through with this project that has turned into a movement. … I get to meet a lot of young kids who enjoyed sewing but they didn’t tell anyone about it because maybe they thought it was a little taboo. Nearly every week, I get pictures of kids with their sewing machines and it’s great. I was bullied terribly growing up and I had to self-validate. When everybody thought I was stupid for moving forward with my side hustle, I believed in it and that was all that mattered. It’s fun to share with everyone.
More:Columbus Museum of Art workers seek to unionize
Q: At what point did you feel like you wanted to do this as a side hustle or were in a position to start it?
Conover:It’s been long enough now to say that TV wasn’t part of the plan. If TV didn’t happen, I would’ve continued down the law plan, but as much as I enjoy the law, at its core it was a way to make money so I could help more people. What I discovered was that the show gave me a nice cushion where I could work on my true passion, which was sewing, and I could start making money to accomplish my philanthropic goals. … TV took my life in another direction.
Q: You mentioned being bullied. How much did bullying impact your life?
Conover:It’s funny how long bullying stays with you. I remember signing my contract for the show and remember thinking like, I hope they have TVs in jail in Delaware so those guys can see me on TV. I was thinking about that years later. It’s wild that it sticks with you, but I was able to turn it into a positive. I kind of always do that. I was like, just get through high school and your life is going to change. … It set me up great for reality TV because now nobody on the internet or on my show can say anything worse than when I was a kid. I have always been very empathetic. It’s just funny how life works out.
Q: Was sewing and home decor always an interest of yours as a kid?
Conover:We had home economics in seventh grade and half the year we spent sewing and half the year we learned to cook, and I loved it. It became my favorite class. That’s why I am where I am today. When I picked up a sewing machine again, it was like 12 or 13 years later, I remembered the pillow we made in that class. I remade that pillow and went from there.
More:Joe Walsh to reunite with James Gang, guest Dave Grohl at Nationwide Arena on Nov. 13
Q: What do you want to talk to guests about when you arrive for The Fall Dispatch Home & Garden Show?
Conover:I’m excited they brought me in for this fireside chat to talk about about my story, growing Sewing Down South. One of my goals is basically to convey the message that it’s not selfish to work on your side hustle and you don’t have to live life like everyone else. No one in the world thought my idea was good except myself. A lot of people assume that if it was a good idea, it would be done already, so I want to talk about that, try to bring some fun into the struggles a lot of people don’t realize someone on TV or a successful business has gone through, and I have a lot of relatable things to talk about. … I have done some home shows in Florida and at LSU’s business school and a lot of times, I come out of it with people thinking I’m more relatable than they thought, so I’m excited to meet everyone.
At a glance
The Fall Dispatch Home & Garden Show will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the Ohio Expo Center, Interstate 71 and East 17th Avenue. Craig Conover will visit at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets to the show are free. Parking costs $5.
For a full list of vendors as well as daily events and activities, visit www.dispatchshows.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Craig Conover talks about 'Southern Charm,' his visit to Columbus
