Sisters weave dream into reality

Times staff writer

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 26, 1999

Traci Feeley, 36, wanted to stay close to her young son, Tyler. Her sister, Kelli Pilsbury, 40, yearned for a career change. For both, Embroider-Me, a retail embroidery shop, was the family-owned business they always dreamed of.

Three years have gone by since the siblings opened Embroider-Me at 6000 66th St. N next to the Army Navy Store. On this late afternoon, Tyler, now 5, lounges in the designated play area as his Aunt Kelli demonstrates the embroidery equipment. "This job gives me a way to create. I really love that," the former bookkeeper said.

The company, which until now focused on corporate accounts, has undergone an expansion of sorts. It now has a worldwide customer base via the Internet.

The Web page, http://www.embroider-me.com, opened for business a month ago. Internet sales include tried-and-true items like towels, hats and tote bags, all custom-embroidered, but the women now tout gift baskets.

"We wanted to start selling baskets, and the Internet was a big reason to enter this realm," Pilsbury said.

Web shoppers seem to shop for more of a finished product. For example, when someone visits the storefront looking for a baby gift, he or she can purchase a gift basket, including a gift certificate to get a baby item embroidered with the baby's name, in advance of the birth. Once the baby is born, the recipient can bring in the certificate, and the baby's name can be added. When it's going to be sent to a customer through the mail, however, it needs to be finished, Feeley said.

Although excited about the new venture, the women don't want to forget their personal relationship with customers and the primary goal of running a family-owned business. "After all, there are no more sisters we can hire," Pilsbury said.

If you misplace the name of the Web site, you can always search for the company under keywords. "Just last week I was on the computer, and I found it by searching with keyword "burpcloth,' " Feeley said.

Embroider-Me is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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ST. PETERSBURG -- Representatives from three major downtown building projects -- BayWalk, Florencia and the Cloisters -- will issue progress reports Tuesday at a Downtown Core Group meeting.

The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at the Keystone Club, 320 Fourth St. N.

The Core Group is an association of people interested in energizing the city's downtown and in providing a forum for ideas. It has no geographic boundaries.

For information, call Pat Fulton, 896-0523.

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Primex Technologies, 10101 Dr. M.L. King (Ninth) St. N, St. Petersburg, has announced the following contract: U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, modification to a previously awarded contract for refurbishment of the shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapon

-- Please send your business news items to Piper Jones Castillo, Neighborhood Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. E-mail: piper@sptimes.com. Phone number: 893-8827.

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