We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Deonna Zulma a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Deonna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Like many Americans, I too lost my job due to COVID-19. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I always wanted to start my own business. I asked God what should I be doing. He lead me straight to my heart! I’ve always had love for crafting. It wasn’t until I became an adult where I could afford the things I wanted and support my hobby (crafting!). I have a son and for his birthday i would always purchase him a personalized shirt for his birthday that consisted of his name, age, and theme. When I started my business I was able to make birthday shirts for him. I turned my hobby into income. I love the fact that I get to share what I love with people which genuinely makes their heart smile. I love when people favorite my shop or get excited when they see my space when I’m out selling. I used to pop up at different event held around the city of Louisville, KY. That was until one day I visited a local open market called Logan Street Market. It is a big warehouse filled with local shops and restaurants. At that time I knew I wanted to inquire about getting a space to have somewhat of a store front for my business. And that’s what I did! I’m nowhere near what I aspire to be, but I’m here and started. I ask that you buy local or support a small business because that very same purchase not only puts a smile on our face, it helps in the most tremendous ways!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a black owned, women own embroidery businesses located in Louisville ky.. I specialize in business branding, monogramming, interior design, birthday celebrations, lovable Stuffies. I also offer other custom creations such as earrings and cups. What sets my business apart from then others is my creativity. Not only do I provide custom items. I also create items that you can grab and go. My customers have the luxury of ordering personalized goods from my store and picking them up in minutes. Logan street market is quite the marketplace so my clients sometimes walk around or go get something to eat and come back to pick up their personalized items.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Naturally, the source of me clients for me is the tourism foot traffic that the market brings. The market is still fairly new and opened up in October 2019 right before the pandemic. There’s also locals that say they didn’t know such place exist. I hope that the market as whole becomes a staple spot for locals as well as tourists. The best source of new clients for me is google. Google helps my business tremendously with leads and future customers.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I lost my job during the pandemic I knew that I had to do something. I took a chance. I’d never did embroidery in my life. I did research and went down to my local dealer and I made an investment. I didn’t know what it took to open a small business, but I figured it out!

Contact Info:

• Website: Dmzcustomcreations.com
• Instagram: Dmzcustomcreations
• Facebook: Dmzcustomcreations
• Yelp: https://s.yelp.com/dp8aFFOUqq