Liberating the artist within

Celebrating their art gallery’s first anniversary, Debbie Z. Almstedt and Manya Schilperoort have found success promoting local women.

By Janice Podsada

Herald Writer

EDMONDS — Debbie Z. Almstedt traded her navy blue blazer, sensible pumps and corporate briefcase for a belly laugh.

It was the best deal the former executive secretary ever orchestrated.

"It’s new," Almstedt tells people who hear her booming laugh. "It comes deep from my belly."

The corporate world, where Almstedt toiled for 20 years, frowned upon laughter and insisted that voices be kept at a hush.

"I felt so suppressed," she said.

Inside her wool suit was an artist yearning to break free.

Today, Almstedt and her business partner Manya Schilperoort, also an artist, are celebrating the one-year anniversary of Adorn Embellish and Empower, an Edmonds store that sells the work of local women artists.

Adorn sells wearable and decorative household art created by Snohomish and King county artists from 9- to 70-plus-years-old.

The store’s selection of jewelry, scarves, hats, hand-painted dishes, candles and custom-decorated shoes ranges in price from $4 to $1,000.

Two years ago, Almstedt befriended Schilperoort, 39, during a jewelry class they both attended. Each instantly recognized that the other was harboring an inner artist.

Within months, the two women drew up a business plan whose goal was to transform their love of art into a job. A year ago, the two artists opened their doors with only their own handcrafted jewelry for sale.

As the weeks passed, they began meeting other women artists and taking them under their wing. A big part of their mentoring involved teaching others what they had learned the hard way.

"For years I had longed for someone to show me how to get started," said Schilperoort, a former receptionist. "How to get a business license. How to buy beads on a small scale for wholesale. There is such a need for that kind of information."

This spring, Schilperoort plans to offer classes for emerging women artists. The curriculum includes how to access community resources, such as how to apply for arts and crafts shows and how to get a business license.

Adorn, Embellish and Empower features the work of more than 50 local women, some of whom had no idea the jewelry, hand-painted floor mats or glass ornaments they created at their kitchen table for friends and family had sales potential.

Others are established artists, such as Missy Morrisey, who turns shoes into walking works of art.

"Jewel, the singer, has a pair of her sandals," Almstedt said.

Mailers, potluck dinners and the jewelry classes the two women offer in the shop’s back room have helped create a local network of budding women artists.

"In January, we started a new thing of having a featured woman artist. That was a huge success," Schiperoort said. "It keeps growing."

Featured artists have included Birgit Moenig of Everett; Kristin Rude of Lynnwood; Marilyn Doheny of Edmonds; Dolors Ruscha of Camano Island; and Meredith Driotis of Mukilteo.

In December, Christina Miller of Lynnwood, who paints icons on wood panels, will be Adorn’s featured artist.

Once an artist has been featured, the store usually continues to sell their work. Artists receive 60 percent of the sales price.

"I love the concept of women and women artists," said Sherry Herdick of Edmonds, who popped in on a recent afternoon to buy a pair of gold and pearl earrings. "I like to go to art fairs — the store is like that concept, but it’s here all the time."

The two women who playfully refer to themselves as jewelry divas — "Diva Deb and Diva Manya" — agree laughter is an asset, and Almstedt’s distinctive laugh is a business plus.

"It draws people to the store. They’ll hear us laughing out in the hall and come in."

"Manya and I are happier and healthier than we’ve been in years. We were both creative people stuck in (a) noncreative environment."

The navy blue suits that Almstedt used to wear to work now hang in the back of her closet. But just so she will never be tempted to return to the corporate world of high-rise offices and million-dollar deals, Almstedt recently had her nose pierced.

"I didn’t have this when I worked at the law firm," she said, pointing to a tiny stainless steel stud.

"That’s my big statement," she laughed.

You can call Herald Writer Janice Podsada at 425-339-3029 or send e-mail to podsada@heraldnet.com.

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