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Velvet Lime Designs, based in Suwanee, Georgia, has taken
the proverbial lemons of the Great Recession and made
lemonade. A collaboration of three women, Laura Rhodes,
Rebecca Rhodes Ladikos and Marybeth Wydock, who once
kicked around the “idea” of creating artwork from photos
they took as a hobby, Velvet Lime Designs introduced their
line at the America’s Mart in Atlanta this past January and
recently opened up their store online.
- With all three working for Rhodes Design Group, a design/build firm specializing in entrance and amenities packages for new communities, the homebuilding industry they catered to was devastated by the recent economic downturn. Needing inspiration themselves, the trio decided to take a leap of faith and put more energy into creating uplifting artwork for others. “This company has been a dream in our hearts for many years. It took hard economic times for us to combine our talents and plant the seed for Velvet Lime Designs,” said Laura Rhodes, one of the partners.
- The team spent a year making prototypes, researching products and seeking feedback from prospective buyers and gift shops before finally creating some finished products. One important goal (mostly because of the economic crisis) for Velvet Lime Designs was to keep the manufacturing process in the United States. They succeeded in this endeavor for the table art using a local cabinet maker for the wood pieces and then adding the finishing touches on their own in the office – literally turning their studio space into a production line.
- The gallery prints proved a little more challenging. It was quite cost-prohibitive to use a local printer and print on canvas paper unless the company could print a quantity in the hundreds. With three weeks before the America’s Mart show and a small budget, the team decided to have prototypes made by a company in California who first had the canvases printed in China and then shipped back to California for stretching. Rebecca Rhodes, the partner who worked on product price commented, “After a lot of research, this particular company came within the range of what we knew our price point should be and we had a deadline to meet.”
- With gallery prints in hand from California for display at America’s Mart, the company was introduced to Art Effects Framing, a local company in Norcross, Georgia, just a few days before the show. Dave Nanney, Vice President of Operations, was more than willing to meet the price constraints as well as offer a novel idea for stretching the gallery prints. After Art Effects provided some prototypes, the partners felt confident taking orders at the show. The product has since proven far superior in quality to what the company in California offered.
- The inaugural showing at the Mart for Velvet Lime Designs was a success! The team received initial orders and great feedback from store owners, especially on the children’s line. They are currently shipping the orders, as well as taking orders online. And, most importantly, Velvet Lime Designs is supporting the local economy with that tiny seed of faith.
- Velvet Lime Designs is a company dedicated to planting seeds of inspiration in others through images and words. For more information, visit www.velvetlimedesigns.com.
