Lissy Rawl

October 2026 Issue

Lowcountry Originals 2026photography (top and middle-right)
by Lindsay Pettinicchi Photography, LLC

Lissy Rawl

Current Residence: Hilton Head Island
Hometown: Adrian, Michigan
Career: Interior Design & Creator of Little Fish Boateak
Art: Jewelry, but growing into lifestyle brand
Family: Husband, Bill Rawl and my 2 “little fish,” Woodley & Willa

When and how did you discover your artistic talent? How and/or why did you choose your medium? What do you love about it?
I don’t know if I’ve ever thought of making jewelry as an artistic talent; I just always loved making things. As a kid, I’d stay up late sketching outfits, rearranging my room, painting, or sewing. I would have been in big trouble if Pinterest existed back then! In my senior year of high school, I was voted “the next Martha Stewart,” which still makes me laugh. Jewelry was probably the last thing I thought I’d end up doing. When I worked as an interior designer, I’d bring home old fabric and wallpaper sample books because I couldn’t stand throwing away all those fabulous little swatches. I started wondering if I could put them into jewelry, so I played around with hammered metal shapes to hold them. Then I started making magnetic bracelets with rope trims. I had no idea where any of it would lead—I was just having fun figuring it out. Eventually, I found a style that felt like me, inspired by the coast and the place I call home. I still love sitting down and making pieces with my hands; I can lose hours doing it. And I’ve been surprised by how much I enjoy the business side, too. I’m always learning, and there’s always something new to figure out or problem to solve.

What the biggest challenge you’ve overcome in pursuing and honoring your talent?
Failure, for sure. I’ve never been very good at it. I was the kid who couldn’t stand getting less than an A, so starting a business was a pretty big lesson in things not always going the way I planned. I started the business because I wanted to be home with my girls. I wanted to go on field trips and be present in their lives, instead of spending my evenings answering emails for my interior design job. But Little Fish grew faster than I could keep up with, and somewhere along the way, I let the business come before my family—the opposite of why I had started it. I took setbacks so personally, and for a while I used alcohol to cope with the pressure and fear. I stopped drinking nearly four years ago, and that gave me the clarity to step back and put my family first again.

I had to find a different way to grow Little Fish, one that left room for me to enjoy my life and to love what I was making. I still have big dreams, and days when something doesn’t work out. But I can see now that failure is part of building something. Some of my hardest lessons have come from it. I’m confident that I’m not going to give up on this dream. It’s been 15 years, with plenty of setbacks and times I thought I might be done. I still can’t completely explain what I’m working toward, but there’s something in me that keeps pulling me back to it. So, I keep going, one step at a time.

What artist would you love to spend a day with? What would the day look like? Would you ask questions, get advice, just hang out?
Ralph Lauren, without a doubt. I’ve loved navy blue, plaid, and that classic style since I was a little girl. I’m inspired by the world he created and by the story of how he started with one idea and kept building on it.

I’ve been making jewelry for 15 years, and I still love it. But my dream from the beginning was to build a lifestyle brand. That’s part of why I called it Little Fish BOATEAK—I wanted a name that could grow beyond jewelry one day. Jewelry took off, and I happily found myself making it much longer than I’d expected! I’m finally starting to make room for that dream beyond jewelry. I’ve added keychains and hats, and now I’m working on clothing. I’ve always pictured Little Fish as more than one kind of product—something with a classic coastal feel that people could bring into different parts of their lives. Ralph Lauren has shown me how beautiful that can be when it all feels connected. I’m excited to see what my own Lowcountry version becomes.

If you couldn’t do your art, what else would you choose to do?
I would volunteer! I’ve always loved making other people happy, even when I was little. I don’t think I understood how much helping others meant to me until I went through times when I wasn’t doing enough of it and felt like something was missing. I wish I had more time to give.

My hope is that, as Little Fish grows, I can find a way to make giving back a real part of it on a larger scale. To be able to create things I love and help people along the way would mean so much to me.

Where can we find your brand, Little Fish?
This year, I’ll be at the Habersham Harvest Festival, Concourse ‘de Elegance, Oyster Festival, Hilton Head Island and Bluffton Seafood Festival, Palmetto Bluff holiday market, Flowertown Festival in Summerville, and SEWE—the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston. I’m especially excited to return to the RBC Heritage for my second year with a special collection I designed for our local tournament. Please come by and say hello. I love getting to meet people in person and share what I’ve been working on. It keeps me going! You can also log onto littlefishboateak.com.