We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Donna McMillan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Donna, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
When preparing for our sons wedding I quickly learned that I would have to travel 45 minutes or longer to get the rental items we needed. Not only that but, many companies charge full price for each day except Sundays. That means if I need to pick up rentals on Friday for a Saturday event, that was 2 days rental expense. Our business began with the commitment to provide quality rentals for every occasion at a reasonable price to our community and surrounding areas. We are a full service company offering not only curbside delivery and pickup but we also offer setup of all rental items.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Our business began through a love of decorating and seeing a need in our community. We offer rentals for every occasion! We have tables, chairs, linens, bars, lounge furniture, lighting, dinnerware, stemware and flatware. One of the things that makes us different from most rental companies is that we also have a large selection of decor items including but not limited to: vases, candleholders, lanterns, candle sleeves, cow hide rugs, signs, wedding doors, cake and desert stands. I love when clients visit our showroom and say to me “ you have everything we need!” We strive to be your one stop shop for all your rental needs
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Our goal is to provide high quality rentals at affordable prices! Every client is different, they each have their vision for their special event . At Southern Elegance we strive to not only meet each client’s expectations but to exceed it. We understand the importance of building relationships with our clients through open communication, being available to work with their schedules and providing them with a large selection of inventory at prices for every budget
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Southern Elegance Event Rentals began from a love of decorating and quickly learning that there was a need in our community for a full service rental company . Our little business was blessed to blossom from a part time operation to full time in only a year! I retired after 30 years at USDA/FSA with my husbands support and encouragement to pursue my dream of owning and operating my own business. Over the past few years we have continued to grow, increasing our inventory and services offered to our clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: southerneleganceeventrentalsllc.com
- Facebook: Southern Elegance Event Rentals LLC
- Other: Theknot.com