Greatest pals launch ‘Sugar Sisters,’ a handmade reward business enterprise, all through pandemic
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Acquiring achieved at dancing faculty when they were being 4 decades aged, Madison Gattullo, 20, of New Springville and Rosebank resident Sophia Rizzo, 20, each graduated Wagner Higher School’s theater system and pursued university majors related to the arts.
And equally have participated in a lot of theater productions — together with with Highlight Theater SI — and overlook performing live amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
With a ton of uncertainty about when the arts and theater communities will recover from coronavirus shutdowns, the pair set their creative talents to use.
“We overlook our theater community, accomplishing in individual and staying in a position to actively participate in stay theater. … We looked for minor pockets of hope in our day to day life that could go away us emotion linked and hopeful of theater’s return,” explained Gattullo, who is learning musical theater and law and politics at SUNY New Paltz in upstate New York.
“The alternative to this became coming alongside one another to build artwork that we could share with the neighborhood. We do the job so effectively alongside one another, simply because we are both equally so inventive and impressive in pondering of unique strategies of merchandise that we have but to see in the regional business enterprise industry,” she extra.
The pair introduced Sugar Sisters Staten Island and started marketing their handmade wares — which consist of customized new music-themed keychains and photo frames, stationery, jewelry dishes and other goods — on July 27, 2020.
“This grew to become a way to be ready to continue on developing artwork even when our field shut down,” stated Rizzo, who is double majoring in theater and training at Wagner Faculty, Grymes Hill, and performs in a band known as the Sherwood Challenge. “We were both nevertheless performing virtual shows and on the web assignments, but we had been feeling disheartened with remaining unable to be with our arts households in person. We made the decision on this name for our business because we are like sisters to each individual other, so we desired to showcase that bond in our artwork.”
Dropping A Beloved 1 TO COVID
And for Rizzo the organization was also anything she needed to launch as a tribute to her grandfather, Dominick Cosmai, 81, an artist in his possess appropriate, who died of the coronavirus in April.
“This organization suggests much more to me than anything, for the reason that it was a way to distract myself from my grandfather’s dying,” she mentioned. “My grandfather was extremely creative and was into woodworking. He’d question me, ‘What do you want for your home?’ And he’d make me a small indicator. … He surely is a big inspiration to me.”
SIDEWALK Sales
To produce consciousness of the enterprise, the pair became pleasant with lots of other compact business enterprise owners throughout the Island and participated in socially-distanced sidewalk revenue in entrance of each and every other’s residences and at modest outdoor venues in the summer and drop.
“We’ve shaped friendships with so quite a few astounding individuals, and that alone is anything we’re so grateful for,” mentioned Gattullo.
Item Choices
Their original products giving — and nevertheless their most preferred to date — is a thing they dubbed “Soundtrack Body.”
“These are frames that showcase a image of selection, paired with lovely calligraphy writing and a song of the client’s selection,” mentioned Rizzo. They are accessible in many colours and are absolutely customizable. These are so a lot enjoyment to make due to the fact they are 100% various and distinctive just about every time we make them.”
For the holidays, Gattullo and Rizzo debuted their handmade stationery and other assorted handmade items, these types of as colourful jewelry dishes, hand-painted canvases, wooden plaques, keychains and household decor.
A exclusive Valentine’s Day supplying they developed are “Soundtrack” keychains.
“These plastic keychains can be produced with regardless of what photo or album cover of preference, and are a great way to give the gift of audio to a loved a person this Valentine’s Day,” reported Gattullo. “We also launched an additional line of plastic keychains and pins that we make totally ourselves. We even make keychains with the Spotify Code of your choice. This hyperlink can be to a playlist or track on Spotify to give a person new music. We’re also giving handmade keepsake textbooks for get this Valentine’s Working day, as well as Valentine’s stationery.”
Sugar Sisters also has a giveaway provide for Valentine’s Working day on its Instagram site, mentioned Gattullo.
SUGAR SISTERS STATEN ISLAND AT A Glance
Fb: www.fb.com/Sugar-Sisters-SI
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sugarsisterssi
New Organizations in Emphasis is a weekly column that relates the stories of new Staten Island firms homeowners.
If you have a new small business on Staten Island, e-mail [email protected].
Tracey Porpora is the small business writer and Sunday manager for SiLive.com/Staten Island Advance.
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