We recently connected with Lauren Murray and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
A friend of my dad actually owned the business before me under a different name. She did custom drapery for decades before starting her linen rental company. Under her care, she only specialized in black or white linens only. When she was ready to retire, she approached me and signed the business over to me free of charge, with a promise to simply grow the business as big as I could. I was a little skeptical at first but my prior knowledge of events and lots of market research helped me to make the decision to go for it. I knew that in my area, the companies who offered linens had a large minimum ($2k plus) and I would be able to cater to individuals with a slightly smaller budget…..and well, the rest is history!
Lauren , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Obviously, my name is Lauren Murray, formally Lauren Rhodes. I was born and raised in Fernandina Beach, FL. I spent quite a few years in Tampa, FL after high school, where I met my wonderful husband James. After marrying James and starting our family, we decided to make the move back to my hometown in Fernandina. Originally, I was employed with Starbucks. After 14 years, I made the decision to part ways in 2021 for a better work life balance and to help run our family janitorial and maintenance business. In 2024, I was given the opportunity to take over and re launch an already established linen rental business (Sunhee’s Linen Rentals to now Sun Covered Linen Rentals). We provide individual event rentals such as tablecloths, cloth napkins, chair covers, floral arches, ceiling lighting, event clean-ups, etc. Our services cater to weddings, corporate events, birthday parties or any other social events.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best source for new clients has been building solid relationships with event planners, other event rental companies who do not specialize in linens, and event space owners.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Honestly, word of mouth has been the biggest. In addition to that, offering delivery, set up and break down services has been a huge perk that takes a load off of event planners (one less thing to worry about). Flexibility and competitive pricing with no minimums has also been a huge benefit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.suncoveredlinenrentals.com
- Instagram: @suncoveredlinens
- Facebook: Sun Covered Linen Rentals
Image Credits
LindseyMorganPhotography,
WithinWeddings