Today's Featured Black Entrepreneur
Lisa Shepard Stewart
Cultured Expressions
http://www.CulturedExpressions.com
Hey Together AsOne Family. If you love to create with African fabrics, do we have the business for you! From home decor to quilting & crafts, to fashion and accessories, today's feature Lisa Shepard Stewart of Cultured Expressions can help bring out the creative genius in you! Take a moment to meet Lisa.
Business/Company Name: Cultured Expressions, Inc. (CE)
Owner Name: Lisa Shepard Stewart
Business Email: lisa@CulturedExpressions.com
Website: http://www.CulturedExpressions.com
Where is your Business Located? CE exists wherever I am. Physically, I work from home, so sharing the address with you online would cause some serious matrimonial issues…; )
Give Us Your Thirty Second Elevator Speech? Cultured Expressions is a specialty company that promotes the use of authentic African textiles in decorating, sewing, quilting & crafts. Through my books, workshops, merchandise & special events, I show others how to use the fabrics in beautiful, practical ways. They gain an appreciation for the artistic contributions of the Continent, while experiencing their own creativity. Highlights for 2011 will be our Quilter's Retreat in Negril, Jamaica in June, and our second Textile & Craft Tour of Ghana in September! We offer events & workshops for all skill levels, so check out our award-winning website at www.CulturedExpressions.com.
What is it that separates your business from others? People enjoy a high level of service when they deal with CE, whether they are taking a class, attending a lecture, shopping or traveling with me. I pay attention to people and they're often surprised that I remember the details of their last craft project or whatever brought them to CE. I personally choose fabrics & embellishments, things that aren't found elsewhere, and provide the inspiration for people to use them. My customers are a lot of fun, and very creative – they are from all around the US and overseas. It's exciting for me to present a meaningful, artistic view of Africa to others, one that isn't centered on war, famine, poverty and illness.
How Long Have You Been in Business? Since 1999, when African Accents was published. It's my first how-to project book. Gradually, Cultured Expressions has grown to include specialty merchandise, workshops, lectures, consulting to the trade, customized events for various groups, Home Shows, and unique travel opportunities. For four consecutive years, our site was chosen the Best Site for Crafts, Décor & Creative Living by the Black Web Awards.
Why did you decide to start the business? I've been in the textile & sewing industry since graduating from FIT in 1989. When I wrote the book in '99, I saw from other authors in the industry that I could then develop the content into lectures & workshops. They all focused on a very generic, mid-western, "Martha Stewart" style of home décor, but I combined some of these business models with my own love for African fabrics. At the time, I decorated my own house with pillows & other accents that I made, and people would wonder where I got them, so the vision for the book and the business was very clear to me.
Where do you see your business in 10 years? I see CE becoming a resource to develop artists and their work, in Ghana mostly. I've been importing fabrics, recycled beads and brass pieces from Ghana for about seven years, and the artist development is becoming an extension of that. Our first group tour to Ghana took place in September 2010, and I'd like to do more of that, to help further others' creative journeys, too. I see myself spending more time between continents in the future.
What’s the best part about being an entrepreneur? I like having complete control of what happens, from choosing the merchandise to developing new workshops and putting together exciting events, then getting feedback from the customers & students. I also like the flexibility of my schedule and the ability to pick and choose what I want to do, including February & March events in King of Prussia, PA, Frenchtown, NJ, Red Bank, NJ, Rahway, NJ New York, NY, and Lancaster PA. You can even arrange an event for your own girlfriends' group, church, book club, etc. (See the Events Calendar.)
Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? Surround yourself with others who are achieving something positive, and people who understand what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Asking for advice is fine as long as you're also willing to do your own homework and put in the hours. Work toward something you're passionate about – I think that's part of what defines an entrepreneur. When you work 24/7, you'd better love your own product. And be accessible online. And USE your product! Show others what you love and let them love it, too. I've met people who design jewelry, for example, but don't wear their own stuff! At least have a mini-portfolio of images of your work saved to your phone!! You never know who you'll come across, or what you can learn from them.
Now the fun stuff…
Do you have any nicknames? OK, I can't tell you what my family called me as a baby because now as an adult, it sounds more like a stripper name…
If you need to get motivated and/or hype, what song do you play? Peter Tosh, Culture or Luciano (the reggae one, not Pavarotti!) and a CD called Indigo Spirit (blues & classical fusion). Recently I came across my "Love Jones" soundtrack (yes, on cassette tape, canustandit!!) and that still works for me, too.
What is your favorite football team??? Whichever team has the best colors. The Steelers in black & gold is a good look. But wayback, at about age 13-14, I was a big Cowboys fan. It wasn't about the game or the colors, but they had the best beards – OMG!! My main goal in life was to marry #56, Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, before those nasty legal issues…
If you could have one super power, what would it be and why? I already have it. Most of us do.
Name a movie you could watch over and over again? Airplane.
What is your favorite book? African Accents – the book that launched my company in 1999 and really gave structure to my passion for African fabrics. In 2001, I wrote my second book, Global Expressions: Decorating with Fabrics from Around the World, then in 2007 I self-published On The Go! Designing Accessories with Cultural Style. Shameless plug aside, I don't have a lot of book time, unfortunately, but I loved My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due.
Name something on your Bucket List? To do that New Year's Eve flight with my husband and a small group of friends, where you fly through the time zones, toasting the New Year every hour on the hour.
Celebrity or Person you most admire? I'm not a big celebrity lover, but I admire people who are true to themselves, famous or not.
What is your favorite cartoon? I don't think I have one. My friend Kim has a very cool character under development but I can't talk about that yet.
Name something about you or something that you do that could get your black card taking away from you? I know the rerun schedule of all "Frasier" episodes on various cable channels in the course of a day. I could watch six episodes a day if I wanted to (Email me if you want the schedule ; )
When you’re not being super entrepreneur, what do you like to do? I like to analyze people's handwriting, that's very interesting to me. I also like yoga & holistic health stuff and entertaining. Travel is still big for me, too, but it's such a hassle now…I miss the days of People Express!
What is your favorite charity? As part of my company's Textile & Craft Tour to Ghana in Sept, we connected with the Countryside Orphanage in Awutu-Bawjiase. We took a huge load of donations with us to present to them - including quilts, dolls and clothing created by the trip participants. It was started in 1981 by Emma Boafo, who cared for 12 children. Today they care for about 100 children at any give time, from newborns to age 21. They succeed in raising healthy, happy, self-sufficient individuals. In the coming year, I'm developing ways to work them more on a regular basis through CE. You can check them out online at www.countrysideorphanage.org/
Besides your own business, please shout a Black Entrepreneur and Business that you like to use?
Jackie's on the Reef, in Negril, Jamaica. Jackie's is one of my favorite places ever – a holistic spa in a peaceful, intimate setting where you can shut it down for a while and just "be" – catching up on sleep, enjoying the al fresco spa treatments and the gourmet food that is prepared so beautifully, all while the waves crash behind you along the reef. The owner, Jackie Lewis, is a real renaissance woman who literally built the spa from the ground up. When I first visited in 2001, I knew it would be the kind of place my CE customers would love, too, so I chose the location for my Quilter's Retreats. I'm planning our sixth retreat from June 2-6, 2011, where participants will create landscape quilts inspired by the natural surroundings (in between the spa treatments, food & yoga!) I recommend Jackie's, whether you join me for the quilter's retreat, or experience it on your own. Visit Jackie's online at www.jackiesonthereef.com, or call their local booking office in Brooklyn at (718) 469-2785.
