We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sheena Schramski. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sheena below.
Alright, Sheena thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I am very happy as a business owner. When I think about having a regular job I quickly remind myself of the positive benefits my business provides. The last time I thought about having a regular job was when our website wasn’t working correctly. Usually our customers can get on our website and register to attend any of our paint and sip events. I am not in control of the website and honestly don’t want to be. I’m not an expert in the tech world and would like to keep it that way. Thankfully, we have a wonderful corporate office that was able to quickly fix the issue. This helps me keep my thoughts positive to know I have a team available to help as needed.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I was originally an artist with Wine and Canvas of South Bend. We are known as the painting class with cocktails. The artist provides step by step instructions to help guests create the painting of the day while a server takes care of the restaurant side of the event. The previous owners were looking to sell the business about a year after I started working for them. I was drawn towards to opportunity and decided to look into what I would need to make this purchase a reality. When God opens a door for me I know I can either choose to walk through it or leave that option for someone else. I’m very thankful I walked through the door and started this journey in 2018. I’ve been able to meet some wonderful people and continue learning new things about the business world everyday. I think what makes our company special is the team and the way we treat our customers. We have a wonderful team of employees eager to show our customers how to have fun with art. One of the best feelings is when a guest comes into the studio not sure what to expect, they don’t have any artistic abilities that they are aware of, yet they leave with a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
In 2018 I was a stay at home mom. My kids were 8, 6, and 4. My 4 year old was born with multiple birth defects and needed me to care for him at home, so that’s what I did. He ended up doing very well, so I decided it would be ok for me to get a part time job as long as it was something fun. Wine and Canvas was hiring so I applied as an assistant, quickly moved up to the artist position, and then purchased the company shortly after that. I originally just wanted to do something fun for myself while making some extra cash for the family. Little did I know God had other plans.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I think there are many times in everyone’s life when we expect one thing to happen and end up on a completely different path. When my two girls were little I ran a daycare out of our home. After we found our our son was going to be born with Pentalogy of Cantrell we knew I would need to close the daycare and stay home with him. He spent 63 days in the NICU, and made it through two major surgeries. Our family was not always able to stay together so our girls would stay with grandparents sometimes, and other times I would be at the hospital while my husband Adam was with the girls. It was a hard time and I ended up using my creative skills not write a children’s story about the NICU experience not only to help me through my emotions but also to provide some hope for others going through a similar situation. The story is titled Hold On Tight by Sheena Schramski and is available on Amazon.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wineandcanvas.com/south-bend/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064435042371
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Tight-Sheena-Schramski/dp/1737563304/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Dzofoxp8Y1UVeNXek1mPQJdQ75_5H4wiF8QGsZl0nAzGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.en9kMv_YEwIRcuwFU4hN4bMxruwvC8V1tG9qMz3JcUg&qid=1711388549&sr=8-1