Janine Lawler
	Profession/Type of Art:	shop owner seamstress
	Education:	University of Missouri-Columbia, Political Science

Ann Konzen
Profession/Type of Art:	hand knitting and decorative painting
Education:	University of Miami in Ohio; English, Secondary Education

Janine Lawler and Ann Konzen have known each other for more than eight years. They met through a neighborhood organization. Both stay-at-home moms at the time, they soon became friends.

Lawler's educational background was political science, but she worked in marketing and special events. She had been marketing director for Tower Grove Manor for three years before she became a stay-at-home mom with the birth of her second child.

Konzen was a high school English teacher for more than ten years before becoming a full-time mom. Her husband is an architect who travels with his work, so balancing her career with children would have been difficult. His profession made it possible for her to pursue more creative avenues.

While at home, Lawler began making totes and baby items. That eventually grew from boutique shows into her shop on South Grand, Totes, Tots, and Toile. Konzen began decorative painting on sandals about a year and a half ago. More recently she took up knitting, a skill she had not used for years. She now makes scarves and other items out of some unique yarns and sells them in the shop. And with knitting being such a craze, she now teaches classes at the shop as well.

Janine Lawler is married and her husband, Steven, is an administrator in the Ritenour School District. Their son, Sterling, is eight years old and their daughter, Francine, is three. They live on two floors above the shop.

Ann Konzen is married to Mike, an architect. Their daughter, Katy, is eleven and their son, Ben, is seven. They live in Compton Heights.

The following interview with Janine Lawler and Ann Konzen was conducted by Cheryl Blake, UM-St. Louis, September 2004.

Q. Janine, what items in the store do you create?

Janine: I do not make that many things myself any more. That is why I wanted Ann in on the interview. I think she is more of the artist. I am more of the business side. I do sew the baby bibs and burp pads, and I do monogramming. I also produce the handbags. That's the display in different sizes, and I can use the materials in the book on the table. We have more fabric choices as well. When I became a stay-at-home mom, I quickly realized that was not really my nature. I started sewing and sold my products at boutique shows and such, building a customer base. I knew I liked the selling.

Q Ann, what is your role in the business?

Ann: I started decorative painting of sandals about a year and a half ago in my home, and I sold them on E-Bay. Now I do that decorative painting for Janine's store. I also painted the ceiling motif in the rotunda as you enter the store and the lettering in the pink room. Knitting is such a popular craze right now. I made some scarves and handbags last year to sell here. I also want to pass on what I know. And the knitting is not very cost effective. It takes ten or so hours to knit a poncho, and I can't charge enough to get back my investment. I offer classes, usually six or seven students for two or three sessions of two hours each. The result is a finished product. We have made scarves and felted bags. Poncho and layette classes are upcoming.

There are so many novelty yarns available now. The scarf I am knitting has three yarns including a hand painted one, an eyelash yarn, and a polyester wool. The scarf will truly be one of a kind. I also shop around for interesting yarn and offer it for sale. I rent storage from Janine, and I have a place to paint. I also hold the classes here. She allows me to be the artist, and she takes care of the business.

Q. What does that entail?

Janine: We were just discussing a business decision when you came in.

Ann: I found a handbag I would like to do for a class. We might want to charge $40 for two sessions and the materials: the yarn and needles and the clasp for the purse.

Janine: The problem is that Ann would like to use some specialty yarn that costs $20 a skein, and the project would take more than one skein. We would also have to find a supplier for the clasps. Those are the considerations we would discuss. If Ann were going to make the purse to sell in the shop, three skeins and the clasp would be about $70 if she uses the specialty yarn, plus Ann's time. Mark-up should be about 50% of the cost, although with the local artists it is closer to a 30/70 split, because I know how much has gone into the items. I know I could not sell the handbag in this shop for $140. Ann has a vision of what she wants to create, but I know what is marketable. I could probably sell it for something around $80. So Ann might have to use a different yarn.

I also have to think about how much merchandise I can afford to have in the store. At first, I did not want any consignment because of the bookkeeping involved. I keep meticulous books. But I have taken a few things, new products or to see if something will be a good fit. Partly because of the lower mark-up, I could not afford to have only local artists and have brought in a few select suppliers.

Q. What about marketing?

Janine: I still do the Junior League show each year, the Holiday Mart. That reaches a wider audience. Some customers then come into my shop from the county. Ann's classes are a kind of marketing as well. We also rent out space for baby showers. I have donated after-hours-party gift certificates to local charity auctions. I also have a newsletter for my regular customers.

It's also a convenience for people in the neighborhood. You could call me and say what you need for a shower, for instance, and I could have it wrapped and ready for you when you come by.

Ann: Janine has a vision of how this will all work. She is really disciplined about it. I'm really grateful that she and her business sense have allowed me to do this. I am here a lot, which may be good for her morale as she builds the business.

Q. How is the building working out for you and your family?

Janine: It was built in 1909, and this ground floor was doctors' offices most of the years the building existed. There was a time the third floor was actually a recovery room, but the second and third floors have been a residence for years. We were lucky to find it. We really did not want to rent a space for the store, and this came along at a good time. We are a little distance from the actual South Grand area, but I consider us more of a destination shop anyway. There were a few special issues with insurance and zoning. Although doctors had been here for years, there had never been official commercial zoning. Luckily, I had a good relationship with most of the neighbors and our business district manager, and they really helped me in getting through the process. And insurance companies no longer understand insuring a business with an owner-occupied residence on the premises. We pay a lot for insurance.

I like it here. People have suggested I move to Webster or Kirkwood, but this is our neighborhood and if I can help to make it stronger while doing what I enjoy, then I am grateful to be able to do that. My children are in and out during the day, but so far I manage to let very little of the business migrate upstairs.

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