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St. Charles, IL —
As the daughter of a French seamstress, Terry VanGundy, of St. Charles, has always had a talent for sewing.
“She was very precise,” VanGundy said of her mother. “It was done one way or you rip it up.”
But it wasn’t until VanGundy helped decorate her granddaughter’s room with a bed canopy, a hair bow holder tutu dress and a personalized footstool ottoman that she realized she could turn her sewing talent into a business.
“I just got so many compliments,” she said. “People said, ‘you should sell these!’”
Seven years later, VanGundy’s business, “So Zoey,” sells room decor to individuals and stores all over the country.
VanGundy fittingly named the business after her granddaughter Zoey, who provides her with inspiration.
“Everything I made was just so Zoey,” she said.
At first, the business started at craft shows as a way to see whether her items were sellable. When lugging around room decor became a challenge, VanGundy made the move to selling her items online.
From there, VanGundy captured the attention of boutiques all across the country that were interested in her items.
Working out of a studio in her home, VanGundy said she typically works 12-hour days since she is the only employee.
“There’s no vacation time once you have a home business,” she said.
VanGundy’s items currently sell in stores at malls in Miami and Virginia along with other boutiques. Sensible Threadz in St. Charles recently began selling her items too. Along with having a number of items to choose from on her web site, VanGundy makes custom items to match bedspreads too.
Part of the success is the affordability of the items, VanGundy said.
While bed canopies typically sell for around $250 from stores like Pottery Barn, VanGundy’s items sell for about $40.
“I know I could charge a lot more,” she said. “If I can make one little girl smile that’s enough pay for me.”
VanGundy hasn’t yet ruled out getting an actual store, but for now, she said she’s very satisfied with her Internet business.
“Its just easier to go online,” she said. “(Selling items online) is a great outlet for anyone who’s creative.”
As the daughter of a French seamstress, Terry VanGundy, of St. Charles, has always had a talent for sewing.
“She was very precise,” VanGundy said of her mother. “It was done one way or you rip it up.”
But it wasn’t until VanGundy helped decorate her granddaughter’s room with a bed canopy, a hair bow holder tutu dress and a personalized footstool ottoman that she realized she could turn her sewing talent into a business.
“I just got so many compliments,” she said. “People said, ‘you should sell these!’”
Seven years later, VanGundy’s business, “So Zoey,” sells room decor to individuals and stores all over the country.
VanGundy fittingly named the business after her granddaughter Zoey, who provides her with inspiration.
“Everything I made was just so Zoey,” she said.
At first, the business started at craft shows as a way to see whether her items were sellable. When lugging around room decor became a challenge, VanGundy made the move to selling her items online.
From there, VanGundy captured the attention of boutiques all across the country that were interested in her items.
Working out of a studio in her home, VanGundy said she typically works 12-hour days since she is the only employee.
“There’s no vacation time once you have a home business,” she said.
VanGundy’s items currently sell in stores at malls in Miami and Virginia along with other boutiques. Sensible Threadz in St. Charles recently began selling her items too. Along with having a number of items to choose from on her web site, VanGundy makes custom items to match bedspreads too.
Part of the success is the affordability of the items, VanGundy said.
While bed canopies typically sell for around $250 from stores like Pottery Barn, VanGundy’s items sell for about $40.
“I know I could charge a lot more,” she said. “If I can make one little girl smile that’s enough pay for me.”
VanGundy hasn’t yet ruled out getting an actual store, but for now, she said she’s very satisfied with her Internet business.
“Its just easier to go online,” she said. “(Selling items online) is a great outlet for anyone who’s creative.”
