Hello and happiest sunny times summer to all of you readers out there. We are back this month to tell you all about yet another talented maker that we are honored to work with. This month we are introducing Lisa Wiley from Ellembee based out of Wixom, Michigan. Lisa went to school for fashion design and was working in that industry when she was laid off unexpectedly. At that time, she moved back to Michigan from California to regroup and it was just about the time that Etsy was catching on. She knew a little bit about screen printing from a course in college, so she tried her hand at making some tshirts and by the end of her first 30 days selling on Etsy, she had sold 18 of her hand printed shirts. She started signing up for local craft shows, and things took off from there.

Ellembee is actually named after Lisa herself. She explains, “it's the initials of my maiden name! Lisa Marie Boesch - LMB - Ellembee, my mom came up with it!” For her first five years in business she worked out of her mom’s basement, but now 13 years in she has a team and a 2,000 square foot building that Ellembee operates out of. The direction of the business has changed a bit over the years. They no longer sell tshirts, but what she calls clever gifts. She adds, “it's been quite a ride, and getting laid off was the best thing that ever happened to me!”

Her favorite part of the process is pulling and packing orders. She said she’s a list person so getting all of these things together and organized is very satisfying for her, plus she loves seeing all of the fun things customers order. The most popular clever gift that they sell are their tea towels. They make about 30 new designs for them every year, and it never seems to be enough. You can shop some of their tea towels and more by stopping in to the store here in Bay City, or by visiting her website below. Be sure to follow Ellembee on social media too to stay up to date about any shows they may have coming up!

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