Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Evelyn Wedner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Evelyn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?
My mom is my life’s inspiration and the most influential person in my life. My father was born in 1907 Poland and my mom 1923 Algeria. My brother and I are first generation Americans!
My dad as stationed in Oran, Algeria (which was a French territory) during WWII fighting Rommel. My mom was a translator for the American Troops. Her family was of Orthodox Jewish decent. She posted that they were hosting the Jewish Holidays if any of the officers wanted to come. The rest, as we say, is history!
She came to the United States in 1947, leaving the sunny Mediterranean to arrive on Mt. Washington to the black steel mill soot! She was wondering what she got herself into!
My brother was born in 1948 and I was born in 1952. My mother went to Pitt and got her undergraduate degree and then her masters in teaching. While getting her degrees WQED called her to do a French talk show. She ended up doing two. The first was “Gaby goes to France” and the second, “Entrenous.” She was the first woman talk show host in 1962 & 1964! Her entrepreneurial spirit, having two shows before women were featured on TV, was a motivation for me to form my woman owned business. She ended up teaching French at Taylor Allderdice for 23 years. She encouraged me to seek out a passion in my life and follow it.
She always said she loved that I was surrounded by beauty and creativity. Her French background allowed me to explore the knowledge of art and architecture. I studied two summers at the Sorbonne in Paris while my grandparents, aunt and uncle were present. After two summers away my high school sweetheart proposed and we married after graduating Pitt together.
After a major in urban studies at Pitt and working for the Port Authority Transit for 4 years, I decided to take a detour and to go design school at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. My husband , Bill, was very supportive of me seeking the vocation I loved. We have been married for 51 years. He knew that working in a field I adored everyday would only strengthen our relationship! We had our first child while I was going to school at night. Just as my mother had done, I took a short break and went right back to studying! I graduated in 1981.
I met my business partner when we both worked at Arthur Moser’s for 18 years. When they closed we opened our business, Evelyn James Interiors. My partner, James (Jim) Checkeye, is one of the most knowledgeable of all the influential designers that I have met, past and present! We have been in business together for 20 years. His eye for style , color and creativity is beyond compare.
Every day I channel my mom, with her creative spirit and sense of humor in my interactions with customers that I love, manufacturers who are wonderful and at the same time challenging. I am so blessed that clients have become life long friends.
Evelyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School, then went to the University of Pittsburgh and graduated as an Urban Studies Major. I spent 2 summers abroad studying at The Sorbonne. I studied French, Art, French Civilization, and Architecture. The most wonderful part was that my grandparents were alive so I got to spend time with them, as well as my Aunt and cousins! Studying there further sparked my love for interior design. You become so inspired by the brilliant fabrics, food that looks like art, and the buildings ensconced in history!
After college I worked for our transit company in Pittsburgh. Then, when the funding on my job ran out…I was at a crossroads. I could get a master’s in Urban Studies or go to the Art Institute for design! So went to the Art Institute at night and loved every minute; I graduated in 1981. In 1984 I started working part time at a Scandinavian furniture store called Houseworks. I had 3 young children by then and this wonderful woman owned business allowed me the flexibility of a young working mom.
In 1986 I started working at Arthur Moser’s, a family-owned design furniture business. I worked there for 18 years, and that is how I met my, now, wonderful business partner, Jim Checkeye. He also worked there. When Arthur Moser’s closed in 2004 Jim and I started Evelyn James Interiors. We have been in business over 20 years now!
Jim and I are both lucky to have clients who have worked with us for a long time and now their children are in the fold! We work from blueprints to completion. We love to be part of the inception so the project becomes very cohesive. Our goal is to actualize on our customer’s wishes. We love their input though, because it is their space. We also guide and direct because some people can’t verbalize what they want. Our office manager Angela Harvey is knowledgeable in showing our clients what a fabric will look like on their pieces and to hint at to what the room will look like completed. Technology is a wonder!
The pandemic threw challenges our way that no one had experienced, unless you were around in 1918.
Everything shut down! Containers were abandoned, ports were closed, factories shut down, and fabrics were not available. More importantly people were dying! It was a very difficult time for all! Many, as most, who were stuck in their homes, weren’t enamored with their surroundings. People couldn’t travel or go to a restaurant and most were working from home. So to make a horrible situation a little brighter, they asked for our help.
Somehow we managed to make things work! If we didn’t meet with clients masked in person, Angela would do presentations online. She made it so our clients could see what Jim and I wanted our clients to envision in their spaces. We tried to give them accurate information as we received it. We have dealt with our manufacturers and vendors for a long time, so we are on a first name basis with many, that helped getting reliable information! Our clients were wonderful they understood the hardships people were facing. As an Oncologist friend told me, “It’s not Cancer, just furniture.“ We made it through and some were not as fortunate as we! So we are absolutely, truly grateful!
I would say our superpower is trying to give our clients what they want. We will go to great lengths to arrive at a floor plan, color palette, and cohesive design that we can build on. We are also transparent and honest. We don’t come with hidden agendas and we try to work within budgets that are reasonable. We will try to tell them what is feasible or not.
We love what we do and look forward to share our knowledge with wonderful people! We are in their homes and we become a trusted part of their families. That has sustained us and helped us grow.
How did you build your audience on social media?
We are still trying to create more of a presence on social media formats all the time! It is the key to advertising these days. When we first opened our business we advertised a lot on print media and attending big social venues that were popular back then. As our business grew we depended more and more on word of mouth. Truly an interior design business will only survive by its credibility and talent.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://evelynjamesinteriors.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/evelynjamesinteriors
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/evelynjamesinteriors
