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Williamsburg Resident's Business Made To Craft Gamer Gear For Women

Rebecca Miller, owner of Girl Gamer Gear, has been crafting her whole life in Williamsburg.

"Crafting has been something I have done since I was small," Miller said. "My folks always encouraged me to use my talents for others."

Miller learned a lot about crafting from her family. Her grandmother owned a ceramic shop, where Miller started painting at a young age. Miller's mother taught her to sew and crochet.

"My mom has always sewn and made my clothes when I was little and crocheted. She tried to teach me, and all I did was cry," Miller said. "When I was in college, I had to take a sewing class for my degree, and suddenly, everything she tried to teach me made sense and I loved it. My mom showed me the basics of crocheting again and I have not stopped since."

Miller has lived outside of Williamsburg all of her life on Lower Clover Creek Road. Her father, James Miller, had J.R. Miller Drilling and drilled most of the water wells in the area. Her grandmother on her mother's side was a Brenneman, and Miller has fond memories of being active in the Farm Show in many different ways.

"My mom, Janet Miller, was a Director of the Farm Show Board and was in charge of the flower department for years. I was always helping her with that," Miller said.

Following a degree in Home Economics from Bob Jones University, Miller began Girl Gamer Gear.

"The name came out of the first things I was making – dice bags for table-top gaming. Some friends had started a game, and I needed something to keep my dice in and everything was very masculine. I whipped out my crochet hook and some pretty purple yarn, and soon had a dice bag," Miller said. "I am a girl gamer who makes gear, so Girl Gamer Gear came naturally."

Miller makes a wide variety of items - such as traditional pot scrubbies, dishcloths, topped tea towels, scarves, prop guns, purses and fancy top hats, reusable water balloons, corn hole bean bags, purses, wallets, and Christmas stockings. Miller also reuses old graphic t-shirts to make pillows.

"I even take commissions if people see something on hand that they like and I don't have it available." Miller said.

"This last year, I spent most of my time making face masks," Miller said.

Miller said last she had counted, she had made at least 1,107 face masks.

The best business advice Miller ever received was from her father: "If you're going to do it – do it. You can't be afraid to try, it can seem very daunting at first, but you'll never know if you can make it."

Miller said her parents are her biggest mentors.

"They ran J.R. Miller Drilling all my growing up years. I knew from the inside how much work goes into just the day-to-day stuff," Miller said.

Miller's advice for those hoping to start a small business like hers is, "Start small. See what works and what doesn't work. Don't sink all your capital in at once. You have to find what works for you and it has to be something that can sustain itself. It's great to follow your passion, but your passion has to pay for itself."

Those interested in some of Miller's items can find her on Etsy (oxbastetxo) or on Facebook or Instagram (Girl Gamer Gear).

 

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